Apoptosis in Health and Disease - Part A

DELPINO, M. VICTORIA; JORGE F. QUARLERI; CINTIA CEVALLOS

Advances in Protein Chemistry and Structural Biology

ELSVIERE

Año: 2021; p. 2 - 9

In pluricellular organisms, apoptosis is indispensablefor the development and homeostasis.During infection, apoptosis plays themainrole in the elimination of infected cells. Infectiousdiseases control apoptosis, and this contributes to disease pathogenesis. Increased apoptosis may participate in two different ways. It can assist the dissemination of intracellularpathogens or induce immunosuppression to favor pathogen dissemination. In other conditions, apoptosis can benefit eradicate infectious agents from the host. Accordingly, bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites have developed strategies to inhibit host cell death byapoptosis to allow intracellular survival and persistence of the pathogen. The clarificationof the intracellular signaling pathways, the receptors involved and the pathogen factorsthat interfere with apoptosis could disclose new therapeutic targets for blocking microbialactions on apoptotic pathways. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge onpathogen anti-apoptotic and apoptotic approaches and the mechanisms involving indisease