Near death experiences: poxvirus regulation of apoptotic death.

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, plays a critical role in the elimination of virus-infected cells. As a result, a growing number of viruses encode numerous potent anti-apoptotic proteins to counteract apoptosis in an effort to prolong their own survival. This review describes the numerous mechanisms by which poxviruses inhibit apoptosis thereby modulating life and death of the cell.