Institute for Biomedical Research, Kaunas University of Medicine, Kaunas, Lithuania.
Environ Mol Mutagen. 2010 Jun;51(5):406-16. doi: 10.1002/em.20564.
Mitochondria play an essential role in both cell health and death. Increasing experimental evidence suggests that mitochondria are involved in active control of cell death processes at several levels including (1) mitochondrial membrane permeabilization and release of proapoptotic proteins, (2) post-cytochrome c regulation of caspase activation, and (3) supply of energy for execution of death program. The purpose of this review is to discuss the main mechanisms by which alterations in mitochondrial outer membrane permit the translocation of proapoptotic proteins into cytosol, how mitochondria "make decisions" on the mode of cell death, and how they regulate caspase activation by changing the redox state of cytosolic cytochrome c. The interventions into these processes may constitute an important strategy for the pharmacological prevention of unwanted cell death in various pathologies or, conversely, for facilitation of anticancer therapy.
线粒体在细胞健康和死亡中都起着至关重要的作用。越来越多的实验证据表明，线粒体在包括以下几个方面的细胞死亡过程的主动控制中发挥作用：（1）线粒体膜通透性增加和促凋亡蛋白的释放，（2）细胞色素 c 后对半胱天冬酶激活的调节，以及（3）为执行死亡程序提供能量。本文的目的是讨论线粒体外膜改变允许促凋亡蛋白易位到细胞质中的主要机制，线粒体如何“决定”细胞死亡的方式，以及它们如何通过改变细胞色素 c 的细胞浆氧化还原状态来调节半胱天冬酶的激活。对这些过程的干预可能构成了在各种病理情况下预防不必要的细胞死亡或相反促进抗癌治疗的重要策略。
