Wajant Harald
Institute of Cell Biology and Immunology, Allmandring 31, University of Stuttgart, 70 569 Stuttgart, Germany.
Science. 2002 May 31;296(5573):1635-6. doi: 10.1126/science.1071553.
Apoptosis and related forms of cell death have central importance in development, homeostasis, tumor surveillance, and the function of the immune system. Apoptosis is initiated by two principal pathways. The intrinsic pathway emerges from mitochondria, whereas the extrinsic pathway is activated by the ligation of death receptors. This Viewpoint introduces the basic mechanisms of the extrinsic pathway, using the example of the prototypical death receptor Fas and its role in apoptosis, but it also points out the increasingly understood importance of this receptor as a non-apoptotic signal transducer.
细胞凋亡及相关形式的细胞死亡在发育、体内平衡、肿瘤监测和免疫系统功能中具有核心重要性。细胞凋亡由两条主要途径启动。内源性途径源自线粒体，而外源性途径则通过死亡受体的连接而激活。本观点文章以典型的死亡受体Fas为例介绍外源性途径的基本机制及其在细胞凋亡中的作用，但也指出了该受体作为非凋亡信号转导分子的重要性，且这一点正日益为人所理解。
