Apoptosis and its role in human disease

In a landmark paper published over two decades ago, Kerr et al. proposed the term apoptosis "for a hitherto little recognized mechanism of controlled cell deletion, which appears to play a complementary but opposite role to mitosis in the regulation of animal cell populations". In the ensu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBio/technology (New York, N.Y. 1983) Vol. 12; no. 5; p. 487
Main Authors Barr, P J, Tomei, L D
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.05.1994
Subjects
Aging - physiology
Animals
Apoptosis
Disease
Heart Diseases
Homeostasis
Humans
Immune System Diseases
Nervous System Diseases
Oxidation-Reduction
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Summary:In a landmark paper published over two decades ago, Kerr et al. proposed the term apoptosis "for a hitherto little recognized mechanism of controlled cell deletion, which appears to play a complementary but opposite role to mitosis in the regulation of animal cell populations". In the ensuing years, this natural cell death process was studied at the basic science level, primarily with a view to understanding its roles in cancer and in the development and maintenance of the immune system. More recently, however, evidence has suggested a role for the failure of normal apoptosis control in many of the major diseases of the industrialized world. Though complex, apoptosis appears amenable to therapeutic intervention. The range of modern pharmaceutical strategies available to treat such disregulated gene-directed processes offers promise for advances in the control of cancer, immune system and neurodegenerative disorders, heart disease, and perhaps even the aging process itself.
ISSN:0733-222X
DOI:10.1038/nbt0594-487