Endocrine Abstracts

Apoptosis or programmed cell death, is a principal mechanism controlling the physiological development of most living organs by removing unwanted cells without inducing an inflammatory response. It is known that in autoimmune thyroid conditions such as Graves' disease, thyroid cells die by apoptosis. Dysregulation of pro- and anti-apoptotic gene expression may be critical to the induction of the destructive process via the activation of a sequence of caspases (proteases).<...

Background:In thyroid autoimmune conditions such as Graves' disease, thyroid cells die by apoptosis (programmed cell death).Dysregulation of pro- and anti-apoptotic genes may be critical to the induction of the destructive process via the activation of a sequence of caspases (proteases). Conventionally, apoptosis occurs via 2 main pathways: the Intrinsic pathway mediated by mitochondria and the Extrinsic pathway mediated by the activation of death receptors (Fas and TN...