Mitochondria, Bcl-2 family proteins and apoptosomes: of worms, flies and men

Jessie Colin (1) , Sebastien Gaumer (1) , Isabelle Guenal (1) , Bernard Mignotte (1)

1 LGBC - Laboratoire de génétique et biologie cellulaire

Initiator caspases are activated within specialized complexes, one of which is the apoptosome. The apoptosome is always constituted by at least an initiator caspase and a caspase activator. Apoptosome activation enables maturation of the associated caspase and constitutes a key step for cell fate. This activating complex is found throughout metazoans but its composition and regulation seem slightly different from one species to another. This review focuses on the composition and activation of the apoptosome in different species and details the role of mitochondrial factors and Bcl 2 family members in this activation.

Domaines: Biochimie [q-bio.BM]

Jessie Colin, Sebastien Gaumer, Isabelle Guenal, Bernard Mignotte. Mitochondria, Bcl-2 family proteins and apoptosomes: of worms, flies and men. Frontiers in bioscience : a journal and virtual library, 2009, S1 (14), pp.290-300. ⟨10.2741/3517⟩. ⟨hal-00354315⟩