Apoptosis and liver diseases

Regulation of homeostasic balance between cell proliferation and cell death, called apoptosis, is essential for development and maintenance of multicellular organisms. Recent research into the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis has revealed that apoptosis is a genetically and evolutionarily conserved process that can become deranged when the components of the cellular apoptotic machinery are mutated, perturbated by viral gene products or present in inappropriated quantities. Analysis of the regulatory apoptotic pathways has led to a better understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of many human diseases, notably cancers, infectious diseases or autoimmune diseases. Our understanding of the regulation of apoptosis in health and disease is far from complete and the use of understanding into new therapeutic modalities has only begun to be approached.