Molecular regulation of neuronal apoptosis.

Apoptosis is a fundamental biological process used by all muticellular organisms to eliminate unwanted or superfluous cells, and is a prominent feature of normal neural development. Developmentally occurring neuronal apoptosis serves to match the number of neurons to the requirements of their synaptic targets and to rid the nervous system of inappropriate connections. While it is generally accepted that apoptosis is a "suicide program" inherent in all cells, the molecular basis of this program is just beginning to be unraveled. Evidence from numerous recent studies indicate that a variety of proteins are involved in the transmission of external signals to the cell-death machinery within the cell. This review describes many of the recent findings of the regulatory pathways and genes that have been implicated in the induction or suppression of apoptosis in neurons.