Cell Death and Differentiation (2002) 9, 1031 ± 1042 ã 2002 Nature Publishing Group All rights reserved 1350-9047/02 $25.00 www.nature.com/cdd Review The role of mitochondrial factors in apoptosis: a Russian roulette with more than one bullet G van Loo1, X Saelens1, M van Gurp1 M MacFarlane2, mitochondria-derived activator of caspases; tBid, truncated Bid; SJ Martin3 and P Vandenabeele*,1 XIAP, X-linked inhibitor-of-apoptosis protein 1 Molecular Signalling and Cell Death Unit, Department of Molecular Biomedical Research, VIB, Gent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Ghent, Introduction Belgium Since the pioneering work of Xiaodong Wang,1 increasing 2 Medical Research Council Toxicology Unit, Hodgkin Building, University of evidence has been provided that mitochondrial constituents Leicester, Leicester, UK 3 Molecular Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Genetics, The Smur®t are actively involved in the regulation of apoptotic cell death. Institute, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland Originally, the contribution of mitochondria to apoptosis was * Corresponding author: P Vandenabeele, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 described in terms of disruption of the mitochondrial Ghent, Belgium. Tel: 32-9-264-51-31; Fax: 32-9-264-53-48; transmembrane potential (Dcm), which results from an E-mail:
[email protected] asymmetric distribution of protons on both sides of the inner mitochondrial membrane.2 This Dcm creates an electroche- Received 14.4.02; revised 7.6.02; accepted 11.6.02 mical gradient essential for ATP synthetase activity in the Edited by E Alnemri oxidative phosphorylation pathway. Dcm collapse was considered as the `point-of-no-return' of the death program.3 Abstract A breakthrough in the recognition of the central role of mitochondria in apoptosis came with the finding that Mitochondria are `life-essential' organelles for the production cytochrome c, an electron shuttle molecule in the oxidative of metabolic energy in the form of ATP.