Apoptosis is an evolutionarily conserved type of programmed cell death essential for development, homeostasis, and self-defense against infection. It can be triggered by a number of factors including UV- or gamma-irradiation, chemotherapeutic drugs, or signaling by death receptors. There are two ...

Caspases are the central components of the apoptotic response. The apoptotic caspases are generally divided into two classes: the initiator caspases, which include caspase-2, -8, -9 and -10 and the effector caspases, which include caspases-3, -6 and -7. ...

Death receptors such as FasR belong to a Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF) superfamily of receptors involved in proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. FasR is ubiquitously expressed in various tissues, but its ligand FasL is expressed mainly in activated T lymphocytes and natural ...

The tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) is a potent cytokine produced by many cell types, including macrophages, monocytes, lymphocytes, keratinocytes and fibroblasts, in response to inflammation, infection, injury and other environmental challenges. TNF-alpha elicits a particularly broad ...