IS APOPTOSIS MEDIATED BY REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES

Apoptosis is a common mode of programmed cell death occurring during d evelopment as well as in many pathological conditions, in which the ce ll plays an active role in its own demise. Although the morphological and biochemical hallmarks of apoptosis are conserved across phyla and cell type, the mechanism(s) of apoptosis is unknown. However, data rec ently published demonstrate that expression of the anti-apoptotic gene bcl-2 decreases the net cellular generation of reactive oxygen specie s, and that reactive oxygen species serve as mediators of apoptosis in at least some cases.