CONTENTS

Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 21

The Apoptotic Machinery...............................................................................................................

Caspases................................................................................................................................... 22

Bcl-2 Family............................................................................................................................ 24

Inhibitors of Apoptosis............................................................................................................ 26

Inhibitors of Apoptosis Proteins (IAPs).................................................................................. 26

FLICE/Caspase-8-Inhibitory Proteins (FLIPs)........................................................................ 27

Molecular Pathways of Apoptosis.................................................................................................. 27

The Mitochondrial Pathway (The Intrinsic Pathway)............................................................. 27

The Death Receptor Pathway (The Extrinsic Pathway).......................................................... 28

Summary and Conclusion............................................................................................................... 31

Acknowledgment............................................................................................................................ 31

References....................................................................................................................................... 31