Mecanismes de survie au stress cellulaire. [Survival mechanisms to cellular stress]

Cells in our organism are constantly subjected to various types of stress that can lead to apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death. Apoptosis is induced when members of the caspase family of proteases are activated, either as a result of death receptor stimulation, or following cytochrome C release from the mitochondria. Cells can nevertheless survive in noxious conditions by activating a series of mechanisms that block or hamper caspase activation. As deregulation of apoptosis or of its regulatory check-points can lead to pathologies such as cancer and diabetes, a better understanding of apoptosis and its regulation is vital for the development of new therapeutical tools to treat these diseases