Basic and clinical investigators systematically compile a comprehensive but concise summary of essential, up-to-date information about apoptosis. The authors present the concepts, the molecular architecture, the biochemical pathways, and the pathophysiological significance of apoptosis. In addition, standard biochemical and cell biologic approaches to apoptosis research are described as a guideline for bench work, with clinical applications detailed for immune disorders, cancer, ischemia/reperfusion injury, and neuronal degeneration.

Part I: Molecules and Pathways of Apoptosis. Caspases: Structure, Activation Pathways, and Substrates. Bcl-2 Family Proteins: Master Regulators of Apoptosis. Inhibitors of Apoptosis Proteins. Structural Biology of Programmed Cell Death. The Death Receptor Family and the Extrinsic Pathway. The Mitochondrial Apoptosis Pathway. From Caspases to Alternative Cell-Death Mechanisms. Part II: Apoptosis in Action. Apoptosis in Plants, Yeast, and Bacteria. Programmed Cell Death in C. elegans. Cell Death in Drosophila. Cell Death in Mammalian Development. Apoptosis and Cancer: Pathogenic and Therapeutic Implications. Cell Death in Immune, Inflammatory, and Stress Responses. Cell-Death Mechanisms in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Diversity Among Cerebral Ischemia, Parkinson's Disease, and Huntington's Disease. Apoptosis in Ischemic Disease. Part III: Approaches to the Study of Apoptosis. Analysis of Apoptosis: Basic Principles and Procedures. Index.