Necroptosis as a Novel Facet of Mitotic Catastrophe.

Mitotic catastrophe is a defensive mechanism that promotes elimination of cells with aberrant mitosis by triggering the cell-death pathways and/or cellular senescence. Nowadays, it is known that apoptosis, autophagic cell death, and necrosis could be consequences of mitotic catastrophe. Here, we demonstrate the ability of a DNA-damaging agent, doxorubicin, at 600 nM concentration to stimulate mitotic catastrophe.

Requirement for Serine-384 in Caspase-2 processing and activity.

Caspase-2 is a unique and conservative cysteine protease which plays an important role in several cellular processes including apoptotic cell death. Although the molecular mechanisms of its activation remain largely unclear, a major role belongs to the architecture of the caspase-2 active center. We demonstrate that the substitution of the putative phosphorylation site of caspase-2, Serine-384 to Alanine, blocks caspase-2 processing and decreases its enzymatic activity.

The DNA-damage response and nuclear events as regulators of nonapoptotic forms of cell death.

The maintenance of genome stability is essential for the cell as the integrity of genomic information guaranties reproduction of a whole organism. DNA damage occurring in response to different natural and nonnatural stimuli (errors in DNA replication, UV radiation, chemical agents, etc.) is normally detected by special cellular machinery that induces DNA repair.