Genetic Diversity of the Apoptotic Pathway in Insects
Résumé
Programmed cell death is an intrinsic part of normal development, physiology and organismal homeostasis. Apoptosis is a widespread form of regulated cell death, controlled by a genetically encoded machinery conserved throughout evolution. In the highly diverse group of insects, apoptotic pathways have been characterized in only a few dipteran and lepidopteran species, where they have been shown to be essential for development, metamorphosis and immunity-related processes. The lack of studies in other insect orders clearly limits our understanding of the role of apoptosis in the life history of insects.