Présentation
WANDA KUKULSKI
University of Bern, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine
External attendees wishing to participate in the seminar are required to contact the following email address dbsc@pasteur.fr in order to obtain access to the Institut Pasteur premises
ABSTRACT
The cell death program known as apoptosis is essential for organisms to remove surplus cells. This mechanism is important during development as well as for everyday tissue maintenance. Apoptosis also prevents uncontrolled proliferation of potentially cancerous cells. During the program, cytochrome c is released from mitochondria where it interacts with Apaf1 in the cytosol. This is known as the formation of the apoptosome complex, a key event in apoptosis.
This complex serves as a platform for the activation of caspases that execute the dismantling of the cell. We have found that the inside cells, the apoptosome is a pleomorphic, continuous meshwork structure that forms transiently during cell death. In this talk, I will present our work towards understanding regulation and assembly of the apoptosome in situ.


