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Death for life: a path from apoptotic signaling to tissue-scale effects of apoptotic epithelial extrusion

Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences volume 76, pages 3571–3581 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

Apoptosis plays a crucial role in clearing old or critically compromised cells, and actively maintains epithelial homeostasis and epithelial morphogenesis during embryo development. But how is the apoptotic signaling pathway able to orchestrate such complex and dynamic multi-cellular morphological events at the tissue scale? In this review we collected the most updated knowledge regarding how apoptosis controls different cytoskeletal components. We describe how apoptosis can control epithelial homeostasis though epithelial extrusion, a highly orchestrated process based on high- order actomyosin structures and on the coordination between the apoptotic and the neighboring cells. Finally, we describe how the synergy among forces generated by multiple apoptotic cells can shape epithelia in embryo development.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC) investigator grants (IG 18675); Fondazione Piemontese per la Ricerca sul Cancro (5x1000 2014).

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  1. Paolo Armando Gagliardi

    Present address: Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012, Bern, Switzerland

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  1. Candiolo Cancer Institute-FPO IRCCS, 10060, Candiolo, Italy

    Paolo Armando Gagliardi & Luca Primo

  2. Department of Oncology, University of Torino, 10060, Turin, Italy

    Luca Primo

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  1. Paolo Armando Gagliardi
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Correspondence to Luca Primo.

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Gagliardi, P.A., Primo, L. Death for life: a path from apoptotic signaling to tissue-scale effects of apoptotic epithelial extrusion. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 76, 3571–3581 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-019-03153-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-019-03153-x

Keywords

  • Apoptosis
  • Caspase
  • Epithelial extrusion
  • Actomyosin cytoskeleton
  • ROCK
  • MRCK