凋亡细胞清除的分子和细胞生物学机制

Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Apoptotic Cell Clearance

凋亡细胞的正确清除是细胞程序性死亡的必要环节,对生物体的器官发育和组织稳态维持起至关重要的作用.凋亡细胞的清除涉及凋亡细胞与吞噬细胞之间的相互识别、吞噬小体形成、吞噬小体与溶酶体融合、凋亡细胞降解等多个环节.基于模式动物秀丽词线虫的研究使人们对这一过程的调控机制有了系统的认识,本文将简要综述该方面的研究进展.

Appropriate clearance of apoptotic cells is an essential step of the cell death program, defects of which contribute to many human diseases. The clearance of apoptotic cells requires their recognition and engulfment by phagocytes, formation of phagosomes, phagosome-lysosome fusion, and digestion of phagosomal contents. Here we briefly review the regulatory mechanisms of these cellular processes in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans.