This title, the 52nd in symposium series, presents a comprehensive review of apoptosis and features contributions from many internationally recognised authors. The book is the first to integrate programmed cell death in plants, invertebrates and vertebrates. Rapid publication ensures that the very latest research is included.

Contributors -- Abbreviations -- Preface -- 1 Apoptotic cell death: from worms to wombats ... but what about the weeds? 1 /M.O. Hengartnerand J.A. Bryant -- Caenorhabditis elegans: the worm that turned ... into a model multicellular eukaryote -- The molecular mechanisms of programmed cell death in Caenorhabditis elegans -- Comparison with mammalian apoptosis -- Plants, from Arabidopsis to Zinnia -- General conclusions -- 2 Caspases - at the cutting edge of cell death /H.R. Stennicke -- Introduction -- Caspases and their properties -- Structure of the caspases -- Activation and regulation of the caspases -- Evolution of the caspases -- 3 Modulation of death receptor signalling /P. Schneider and J.Tschopp -- Introduction -- Death receptors and apoptosis -- Activation of death receptors by death ligands -- Decoy receptors -- Inhibition of death receptor by FLIP -- Conclusion -- 4 The role of the Bcl-2 family in the modulation of apoptosis /C. Pepper and P. Bentley -- Introduction -- Bcl-2 family: life or death promoters -- Function of the Bcl-2 family proteins -- Cellular control of Bcl-2 family proteins -- Over-expression of Bcl-2 family proteins and chemoresistance -- Drug resistance in B-CLL -- Strategies for inhibiting Bcl-2 function in B-CLL -- Conclusions -- 5 The role of granzymes and serpins in regulating cell growth and death /P. Coughlin, E. Morris and L. Hampson -- Introduction -- Induction of apoptosis by cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells -- How does granzyme B gain access to the interior of target cells? -- Molecular targets of granzyme B -- Regulation of granzyme B activity -- The intracellular regulation of granzyme B by PI-9 -- The role of intracellular serpins in cell growth and death -- Conclusions -- 6 Mitochondria and cell death: a pore way to die? /A.P. Halestrap, J.P. Gillespie, A. O'Toole and E. Doran -- Introduction -- The mitochondrial permeability transition -- Mitochondria and apoptosis -- 7 Regulation of apoptosis by cell metabolism, cytochrome c and the cytoskeleton /J.M. Garland -- Introduction -- Apoptosis: the general scene -- Apoptosis and the cytoskeleton -- Apoptosis and metabolism -- Measurement of apoptosis -- Apoptosis in a defined haematopoietic cell system -- IL3 dependency: a universal model for life /death signalling -- Final comments -- 8 Organelle-specific death pathways /K. T. Pun and R.J. Brown -- Introduction -- Bcl-2 family proteins are present in multiple subcellular compartments -- ER dysfunction induces apoptosis -- Apoptosis initiated at other intracellular locations -- The role of subcellular apoptotic complexes -- Concluding remarks -- 9 Telomeres, telomerase and cellular immortalization /C.J. Jones -- Introduction -- Cellular or replicative senescence -- Telomeres: form and function -- Telomere-binding proteins -- Telomerase -- Telomerase and cancer -- Telomerase-knockout mouse -- Immortalization of normal cells by telomerase -- Future prospects -- 10 Back from the brink: plant senescence and its reversibility /H. Thomas and I. Donnison -- Many ways to get dead -- Organ senescence has a cellular basis -- How do senescing cells change colour? -- Senescence is an energy-demanding oxidative process -- Proteins are remobilized in cell senescence - but how? -- Senescence is programmed -- Senescence is regulated at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional level -- Senescence is reversible -- Post-mortem -- 11 Senescence and cell death in Brassica napus and Arabidopsis /V. B uchanan-Wollaston and K. Morris -- What is senescence in plants? -- Senescence and programmed cell death -- When is senescence induced? -- What happens during senescence? -- Analysis of leaf senescence in B. napus -- Links between different types of senescence -- Expression of the senescence-enhanced metallothionein gene, LSC54 -- Expression of other senescence-enhanced genes -- The screen for mu tan ts -- Conclusions -- 12 Cytokinin and its receptors /R. Hooley -- Introduction -- Cytokinins and leaf senescence -- Cytokinin receptors -- 13 Ethylene-triggered cell death during aerenchyma formation in roots /M.C. Drew, C.-J. He and P.W. Morgan -- Introduction -- Patterns of aerenchyma formation -- Aerenchyma function -- Ethylene biosynthesis and induction of cell death -- Ethylene signal transduction pathways -- Programmed cell death -- 14 Targeted cell death in xylogenesis /M.C. McCann, N.J. Stacey and K. Roberts -- Introduction -- Plant programmed cell death -- Cell death is blocked by a cathepsin B inhibitor -- Conclusion -- 15 Abscission and dehiscence /].A. Roberts -- Introduction -- Events associated with abscission -- Abscission and PCD -- Dehiscence -- Events associated with dehiscence -- Dehiscence and PCD -- PCD and the manipulation of dehiscence -- Conclusions -- 16 Regulation of cell cycle arrest and cell death - alternative responses to DNA damage /C. Norbury -- Introduction -- A role for p53 in the G2 DNA damage checkpoint -- ATM and cellular responses to DNA damage -- Resistance to checkpoint-suppressing drugs -- 17 Tissue transglutaminase in cell death /M. Griffin and E. Verderio -- Introduction -- The role of tissue transglutaminase in apoptosis -- Molecular bases of tissue transglutaminase regulation during cell death: role of the enzyme in embryogenesis -- Role of calcium in apoptosis and in the activation of tissue transglutaminase -- Tissue transglutaminase-induced cell death: a novel death pathway -- Conclusion -- 18 Pathways used by adenovirus ElB 19K to inhibit apoptosis /K. Degenhardt, D. Perez and E. White -- Introduction -- E1B 19Kp53-mediated apoptosis -- The Fas and TNF-R1 pathways are blocked by E1B 19K -- E1B 19K inhibits the caspase adapter molecules CED-4 and Apaf-1 -- E1B 19K interacts with Btf, a novel transcriptional repressor -- Future directions -- 19 Tumour cell death /I.D. Bowen and F. Amin -- Introduction -- Cell death in tumours -- Tumour necrosis factor a and tumour cell death -- The role of p53 and Bcl-2 in tumour cell apoptosis -- Non-apoptotic programmed cell death? -- 20 Controlling apoptosis: implications for carcinogenesis /A.R. Clarke -- Introduction -- p53 -- Msh2 -- Msh2 andp53 -- Conclusions -- 21 Type I interferons inhibit the resolution of chronic inflammation /D. Scheel-Toellner, A.N. Akbar, D. Pilling, C.H. Orteu, C.D. Buckley, K. Wang, PR. Webb, J.M. Lord and M. Salmon -- Introduction -- The resolution of immune responses is mediated by apoptosis -- Pathways leading to T-cell apoptosis -- Resolution of T-cell mediated immune responses in healthy individuals -- The resolution of immune responses is inhibited in chronic inflammation -- Stromal rescue is mediated by IFN-13 -- Inhibition of spontaneous neutrophil apoptosis in vitro and in the rheumatoid joint -- Apoptosis of stromal cells in rheumatoid arthritis -- How does type I interferon inhibit T-cell apoptosis? -- Conclusion -- 22 Death of plant cells and their contribution to rumen function /A.H. Kingston-Smith and M.K. T heodorou -- An introduction to the rumen ecosystem -- Potential responses of plant metabolism to the rumen -- Cell death in plants -- Post-ingestion plant metabolism in the rumen; does it resemble cell death? -- Future prospects for improved livestock agriculture -- 23 Postscript: some concluding observations and speculations /S. G. Hughes and J.M. Garland -- Index -- A colour plate appears on pages 239 and 240.