Cytokine Deprivation and Cell Death
Paul G. Ekert*, Anissa M. Jabbour
Children’s Cancer Centre, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital and Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Flemington Rd, Parkville, 3052, Australia
Abstract
It has long been known that many cell types are dependent on specific cytokines that signal proliferation, regulate differentiation and suppress apoptosis. A detailed picture of the structure of several cytokine receptors has added to our understanding of the molecular mechanism of receptor activation. An explosion of knowledge of apoptosis pathways and the ways in which the Bcl-2 family of proteins function has deepened the understanding of the effector arm of the programmed cell death pathway. The challenge is to uncover the molecular links between these two pathways. In this article, we will try to examine what is known of the intersections between cytokine signalling pathways and apoptosis pathways, with particular reference to receptor signalling by the haematopoietic cytokines Interleukin-3 (IL-3) and Granulocyte-Macrophage-Colony Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF).
Keywords: Interleukin, IL-3 receptor, BH3-only proteins, Bim, puma, kinase, JAK, AKT.
Article Information
Article History:
Received Date: 2/5/2010
Revision Received Date: 21/8/2010
Acceptance Date: 22/10/2010
Electronic publication date: 14/4/2011
Collection year: 2011
© Ekert and Jabbour; Licensee Bentham Open.
open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
* Address correspondence to this author at the Children’s Cancer Centre, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital and Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Flemington Rd, Parkville, 3052, Australia; Tel: +613 93455823; Fax: +613 93454993;
E-mail: paul.ekert@mcri.edu.au
Open Peer Review Details |
Manuscript submitted on 2-5-2010 |
Original Manuscript |
Cytokine Deprivation and Cell Death |