Apoptosis and the response to anticancer therapy

Benjamin M.F. Mow, April L. Blajeski, Joya Chandra, Scott H. Kaufmann

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

80 Scopus citations

Abstract

Apoptosis is a distinctive form of cell death that reflects cleavage of a subset of intracellular polypeptides by proteases known as caspases. Two major intracellular caspase cascades, one activated predominately by death receptor ligands and the other triggered by various cellular stresses, including DNA damage and microtubule disruption, have been delineated. Activation of these protease cascades is tightly regulated by a number of polypeptides, including Bcl-2 family members, inhibitor of apoptosis proteins, and several protein kinases. The demonstration that many antineoplastic agents induce apoptosis in susceptible cells raises the possibility that factors affecting caspase activation and activity might be important determinants of anticancer drug sensitivity. Here, we review recent studies describing the regulation of apoptotic pathways and identify potential implications of these findings for resistance to antineoplastic agents.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)453-462
Number of pages10
JournalCurrent Opinion in Oncology
Volume13
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2001

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

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