Abstract
Nearly 25 years after the seminal publication of John Foxton Kerr that first described apoptosis, the process of regulated cell death, our understanding of this basic physiological phenomenon is far from complete [39]. From cardiovascular disease to cancer, apoptosis has assumed a central role with broad ranging therapeutic implications that depend on a complete understanding of this process, yet have also identified an incredibly complex regulatory system that is critical for development and is at the core of many diseases, challenging scientist and clinicians to step into its molecular realm and modulate its circuitry for therapeutic purposes. This chapter will review our understanding of the molecular circuitry that controls apoptosis in leukemia and the pharmacological manipulations of this pathway that may yield therapeutic benefit.
MeSH terms
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Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
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Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
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Apoptosis / drug effects
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Apoptosis / physiology*
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Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / genetics
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Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / physiology*
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Caspases / physiology
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Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors / physiology
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Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
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DNA, Neoplasm / genetics
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Drug Delivery Systems*
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Humans
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Leukemia / drug therapy
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Leukemia / genetics
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Leukemia / pathology*
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Neoplasm Proteins / physiology
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / physiology
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mdm2 / physiology
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Signal Transduction / drug effects
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Signal Transduction / physiology
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TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand / physiology
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Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / physiology
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X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein / physiology
Substances
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Antineoplastic Agents
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Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins
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Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors
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DNA, Neoplasm
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Neoplasm Proteins
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
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TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand
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Tumor Suppressor Protein p53
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X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mdm2
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Caspases