Mécanismes de régulation de l'apoptose: implication dans le traitement des cancers Molecular control of apoptosis: implications in cancer therapy
Estelle Schmitt et Richard Bertrand
Abstract
Apoptosis is a genetically controlled process of cell death. Defective control of apoptosis contributes to malignancy and anticancer drug resistance. The two best-studied models of apoptosis activation, the mitochondria pathway and the cell death receptor pathway will be described. Molecular control of apoptosis involves series of cell death genes, primarily the Ced-9/ Egl-1/Bcl, Ced-4/Apaf-1 and Ced-3/Ice/caspase. The central role of the Ced-9/Egl-1/Bclfamily members in controlling the mitochondria pathway of apoptosis has become eminently apparent. Although, the precise molecular mechanisms triggered by apoptosis-inducing agents used in cancer therapy remain unknown, most studies strongly suggest that the mitochondria pathway play the central role in cell death induced by genotoxic drugs. Understanding the function and mode of action of the proteins of the Ced-9/Egl-1/Bcl family may help develop new cancer therapeutic strategies to circumvent drug resistance.