1012 - mitochondrial dynamics, damage, and inflammatory signalling

The mitochondrial (or intrinsic) apoptosis pathway plays an essential role in the development, survival and clearance of many hematopoietic lineages. It can be activated by pathophysiological insults such as anti-cancer therapy and infection, and its suppression is regarded as one of the hallmarks of cancer. The first drug that specifically targets the pathway, Venetoclax, was approved for use in chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2016. In recent years, we and others have uncovered a link between mitochondrial apoptosis and innate immune signalling, demonstrating that the apoptotic caspase cascade (which functions downstream of mitochondrial damage during cell death) is required to prevent mitochondrial (mt) DNA from activating the cGAS/STING pathway.

Source: Experimental Hematology - July 31, 2019 Category: Hematology Authors: Benjamin Kile Source Type: research