The role of Bax and Bak in cell death in the nervous system

摘要

It is well recognized that cell death plays an important role during the maturation of the nervous system as well as in many neurological diseases. Apoptosis has been shown to be important particulary during embryogenesis as a means to eliminating unwanted neurons. Severed axons have also been shown to degenerate in an organized fashion termed Wallerian degeneration. Excitotoxic death is another form of cell death in the nervous system which is induced by high concentrations of neurotransmitters such as glutamate. It is not known whether the same molecular mechanisms underlie these different forms of cell death in the nervous system. The Bax-/-Bak-/- double knock-out mouse provides an ideal system to