Apoptosis
Authors: M Borgers
Journal: Cardiovascular Research (2000)

This spotlight issue on apoptosis in the cardiovascularYoung [4], who highlight the role of protein kinasesystem appears at a point in time at which enough solid signalling pathways in cardiomyocyte apoptosis, with evidence has emerged to convince the most critical inves-special attention to MAPK and SAPK.A few examples tigator of the prevalence of the phenomenon in most of the of possible anti-apoptotic therapies are given.important cardiac and vascular diseases.The aim of this Four original articles appear in this section.The first, issue is, first, to give the cardiovascular investigator an by Perlmann et al. [5], establishes the essential role of introduction and overview with reference to the vast Bcl-2 in vascular smooth muscle cell viability.Huber literature dealing with myocardial and vascular apoptosis [6] presents evidence that in experimental models and, second, to include a number of highly qualified mimicking myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy, original papers on this topic.apoptosis is induced in cardiomyocytes by T cells By way of accomplishing these two aims, the issue is expressing the gdT cell receptor.The study by Taimor organised into the following six sections: et al. [7] characterizes the pathway of induction of 1.Detection and Basic Mechanisms of Apoptosis.apoptosis by NO and the influence of ischaemia on this The section opens with a paper by Saraste and Pulkki pathway in cardiomyocytes.The section closes with an [1] that reviews the current knowledge on the molecular investigation by Song et al. [8], who tested the hypothmechanisms of apoptosis as they relate to morphologic esis that TNFa induces myocardial apoptosis by induchallmarks and their implications for the detection of tion of iNOS expression and NO production.apoptosis in cardiac tissue.Of special interest are 2. Section II is on Apoptosis in Cardiovascular Developguidelines on detecting true apoptosis and eliminating ment and contains two review papers.The first one, by false positives and false negatives.The second review, van den Hoff et al. [9], is a detailed descriptive review by Depre and Taegtmeyer [2], deals with the metabolic of the functional role of cell death, and in particular aspects of apoptosis.In this review a clear distinction is apoptosis, during development of the heart.The usefulmade in terms of metabolic imprints and energetic ness of Annexin V in detecting apoptosis during deaspects, between myocardial necrosis (infarction), fail-velopment is given special attention.ing heart (programmed cell death), and preconditioning, In the second review, Revzani et al. [10] discuss stunning and hibernation (which the authors call pro-apoptosis-related genes expressed in cardiovascular grammed cell survival).development and disease.Identifying key genes in-The paper by van Heerde et al. [3], in addition to volved in the regulatory process of apoptosis provides briefly reviewing the available techniques for the de-the basis for creating effective therapeutics in disease as tection and quantification of apoptosis by light and well as a better understanding of how cardiac developelectron microscopy, focuses on the recently introduced ment is modulated.Especially the usefulness of ex-Annexin V-based apoptosis detection assay.pressed sequence tags (ESTs) is emphasized.The last review in this section is by Feuerstein and 3. Section III, titled Apoptosis in Ischaemia and Infarction, contains one review and five original papers.