Martin Holcik

Apoptosis in health and disease : clinical and therapeutic aspects

Preface 1. Apoptosis in health, disease and therapy: overview and methodology Eric C. LaCasse, Martin Holcik, Robert G. Korneluk and Alex E. MacKenzie 2. Developmental apoptosis Hyung Don Ryoo and Hermann Steller 3. Apoptosis and cancer Erinn L. Soucie, Gerard Evan and Linda Z. Penn 4. Neuronal cell death in human neurodegenerative diseases and their animal/cell models Lee J. Martin, Zhiping Liu, Juan Troncoso and Donald L. Price 5. Apoptosis in the cardiovascular system: incidence, regulation and therapeutic options Martin R. Bennett 6. Cytotoxic lymphocytes, apoptosis and autoimmunity Pere Santamaria and R. Chris Bleackley 7. Pro- and anti-apoptotic strategies of viruses Helmut Fickenscher, Bernhard Fleckenstein and Armin Ensser.

Apoptosis in Health and Disease: Apoptosis in health, disease, and therapy: overview and methodology

Eric C. LaCasse1, Martin Holcik2, Robert G. Korneluk3 and Alex E. MacKenzie2 1AEgera Oncology Inc. 2Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Apoptosis Research Centre and the Solange Gauthier Karsh Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute 3Departments of Pediatrics, and Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa Apoptosis Research Centre and the Solange Gauthier Karsh Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute

Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Classification, Diagnosis, Background, Molecular Mechanism and Development of Therapeutics

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease and one of the most common genetic causes of infant death. The loss or mutation of the SMN1 gene results in reduced SMN protein level leading to motor neuron death and progressive muscle atrophy. Although recent progress has been made in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of the disease, there is currently no cure for SMA. In this review, we summarize the clinical manifestations, molecular pathogenesis, diagnostic strategy and development of therapeutic regimes for the better understanding and treatment of SMA.

Programmed Cell Death

Publisher Summary Apoptosis is a fundamental process that is required for proper maintenance and survival of multi-cellular organisms. Caspases are cysteinyl-containing active center proteases with specificity for protein cleavage after aspartyl residues. Caspases exist within the cell as inactive zymogens, and their activation is controlled primarily by two distinct mechanisms involving protein–protein interactions within large complexes and proximity-induced processing of the caspases. Since the cell is armed with elaborate mechanisms of self-destruction composed of inactive zymogens that can be rapidly activated by numerous stressors or triggers, these mechanisms must remain under tight control. Apoptosis has been implicated in delayed neuronal death associated with many neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinsons disease, stroke, Huntingtons disease, traumatic head injury, Alzheimers disease, motor neuron degeneration, spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis.