Tuyển tập các báo cáo nghiên cứu về sinh học được đăng trên tạp chí sinh học Journal of Biology đề tài: Letting go: modification of cell adhesion during apoptosis. | Journal of Biology BioMed Central Minireview Letting go modification of cell adhesion during apoptosis Magali Suzanne 1 and Hermann Steller Address The Rockefeller University 1230 York Avenue New York NY 10065 USA. institute of Developmental Biology and Cancer CNRS UMR6543 UniversitéNice - Sophia Antipolis Parc Valrose 06108 Nice cedex 2 France. Correspondence Hermann Steller. Email steller@ Published 28 May 2009 Journal of Biology 2009 8 49 doi jbiol152 The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at http content 8 5 49 2009 BioMed Central Ltd Abstract Apoptosis appears to be a carefully orchestrated process for the ordered dismantling of cells. A recent paper in BMC Developmental Biology shows that the disassembly of adherens junctions during apoptosis in Drosophila is progressive and requires the amino-terminal cleavage of the P-catenin Armadillo by the apoptotic effector caspase DrICE. Apoptosis a morphologically and mechanistically distinct form of programmed cell death is essential for normal animal development and tissue homeostasis. The key executioners in apoptosis are caspases cysteine aspartases a family of proteases that have been conserved through much of animal evolution. Caspases are present as inactive precursor proteins in virtually all cells and are specifically activated by proteolytic cleavage. Their activation is regulated by both activators which promote the conversion of the weakly active precursor caspase to the mature protease and inhibitors which prevent unwanted caspase activity and cell death 1 . One important family of caspase inhibitors comprises the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins IAPs which can directly bind to and inhibit caspases. In Drosophila Diap1 is required to prevent inappropriate caspase activation and ubiquitous apoptosis. In response to death-inducing stimuli antagonists of IAPs such as Reaper Hid and Grim are produced to inactivate Diap1 and thereby .
