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Calcium orchestrates apoptosis

Apoptosis is a feature of many diseases and is critical for the sculpting and maintenance of tissues. New work demonstrates that calcium released from the endoplasmic reticulum synchronizes the mass exodus of cytochrome c from the mitochondria, a phenomenon that coordinates apoptosis.

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Figure 1: The roles of calcium and cytochrome c as inter-organellar messengers in apoptosis.

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Mattson, M., Chan, S. Calcium orchestrates apoptosis. Nat Cell Biol 5, 1041–1043 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb1203-1041

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