Intracellular K+ Concentration Decrease Is Not Obligatory for Apoptosis

Intracellular K+ concentration decrease is not obligatory for apoptosis.

K(+) efflux is observed as an early event in the apoptotic process in various cell types. Loss of intracellular K(+) and subsequent reduction in ionic strength are suggested to release the inhibition of proapoptotic caspases. In this work, a new K(+)-specific microelectrode was used to study possible alterations in intracellular K(+) in Xenopus laevis oocytes during chemically induced apoptosis...

Intracellular potassium (K+) concentration decrease is not obligatory for apoptosis

Intracellular Na(+) concentration is elevated in heart failure but Na/K pump function is unchanged.

BACKGROUND Intracellular sodium concentration ([Na(+)](i)) modulates cardiac contractile and electrical activity through Na/Ca exchange (NCX). Upregulation of NCX in heart failure (HF) may magnify the functional impact of altered [Na(+)](i). METHODS AND RESULTS We measured [Na(+)](i) by using sodium binding benzofuran isophthalate in control and HF rabbit ventricular myocytes (HF induced by a...

Overproduction of reactive oxygen species - obligatory or not for induction of apoptosis by anticancer drugs

Many studies demonstrate that conventional anticancer drugs elevate intracellular level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and alter redox-homeostasis of cancer cells. It is widely accepted that anticancer effect of these chemotherapeutics is due to induction of oxidative stress and ROS-mediated apoptosis in cancer. On the other hand, the harmful side effects of conventional anticancer chemothera...

In response to Point:Counterpoint: "Satellite cell addition is/is not obligatory for skeletal muscle hypertrophy".