Mitochondria are sacs of enzymes in the cell that extract energy from food and store this energy in the high-powered chemical bonds of molecules called ATP. Virtually all activity of cells requires energy supplied by ATP, which acts as the "currency" with which the cell "buys" chemical reactions.
The fact that more than 100,000 research papers on apoptosis have been published is ironic, since this vast amount of information contributes to the confusion over which signaling pathways are most important for triggering this process, according to Douglas R. Green, Ph.D., chair of Immunology at St. Jude and holder of the Peter C. Doherty Endowed Chair of Immunology. Green is senior author of an editorial on apoptosis that appears in the October 7 issue of Science.
Apoptosis is the orderly process that both sculpts developing organisms out of a mass of replicating cells and disposes of irreparably damaged, mutated or infected cells. For example, cells that suffer DNA mutations that cannot be repaired undergo apoptosis to prevent them from forming a tumor.
Understanding the fine points of apoptosis is important to researchers seeking ways to control this process, Green said. Among the many therapeutic applications of such control would be triggering cancer cells to commit suicide. "But we can't design definitive treatments until we understand which pathways leading to apoptosis are the most important," Green said.
The major event in apoptosis is the breakdown of the membranes of the mitochondria. This breakdown allows certain proteins to spill out of the mitochondrion and help form a suicide switch called the apoptosome. Some of the critical steps in apoptosis occur before that breakdown of the mitochondria, that is, "upstairs" from the mitochondria, Green said. The other critical steps occur after, or "downstairs" from the mitochondria, he added.
"Based on all the information available, you could conclude that an enormous number of molecules and pathways trigger apoptosis," Green noted. "So we need to identify the most important series of steps in this process. Otherwise we might concentrate too much of our attention on relatively unimportant byways on the road to apoptosis and miss the major highways."
The other authors of this paper include Diana Spierings, Gavin McStay, Maya Saleh, Cheryl Bender and Uli Maurer (La Jolla Institute) and Jerry Chipuk (St. Jude).
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. No family ever pays for treatments not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fund-raising organization.
Journal
Science