News and Views
Nature Cell Biology 2, E163 - E165 (2000)
doi:10.1038/35023643
Heat-shock proteins as death determinants
Steven Xanthoudakis1 & Donald W. Nicholson1
- Steven Xanthoudakis and Donald W. Nicholson are in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Merck Center for Therapeutic Research, Pointe-Claire-Dorval, Quebec, H9R 4P8, Canada. e-mail: steven_xanthoudakis@merck.com; e-mail: donald_nicholson@merck.com
Abstract
The molecular pathways that mediate apoptosis are tightly regulated by a series of positive and negative signals, the balance of which determines whether or not cells commit suicide. New data from several laboratories now show that heat-shock proteins (HSPs) can influence this process through direct physical interaction with key components of the apoptotic machinery. These reports marry the survival (or death)-endowing properties of HSPs to the cell-death pathway.
