Cell Death and Differentiation (2000) 7, 603 ± 615 ã 2000 Macmillan Publishers Ltd All rights reserved 1350-9047/00 $15.00 www.nature.com/cdd Translation initiation factor modifications and the regulation of protein synthesis in apoptotic cells ,1 1 1 2 MJ Clemens* , M Bushell , IW Jeffrey , VM Pain and Introduction SJ Morley2 Apoptosis is now recognized to be an important physiological 1 Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Cellular and Molecular process by which cell and tissue growth, differentiation and Sciences Group, St George's Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, programmes of development are regulated. The molecular London SW17 ORE, UK mechanisms of apoptosis have been the subject of intense 2 Biochemistry Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Sussex, research in recent years (for reviews see1±5). Cell death is Brighton BN1 9QG, UK induced following the stimulation of specific cell surface * Corresponding author: MJ Clemens, Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Cellular and Molecular Sciences Group, St George's Hospital receptors such as the CD95 (Apo-1/Fas) antigen or the 6 Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 ORE, UK. Tel: +44 20 8725 tumour necrosis factor-a (TNFa) receptor-1 (TNFR-1). It can 5770; Fax: +44 20 8725 2992; E-mail:
[email protected] also result from intracellular events such as DNA damage or from a lack of specific growth factors. The relative importance Received 6.12.99; revised 25.1.00; accepted 20.3.00 of these different influences varies between cell types. The Edited by M Piacentini apoptotic process can be divided into a commitment phase and an execution phase.