Apoptosis is used by animals to remove cells that are in excess, have performed their function, or are potentially dangerous. Changes in apoptosis (too little or too much) are thought to contribute to the pathobiology of a large number of human diseases, including cancer, myocardial heart infarct, and both acute and chronic neurodegeneration. It has become clear over the last several years that the apoptotic pathways that are mutated or activated in disease also play crucial roles in controlling apoptosis during development. We now have a quite good understanding of the identity and function of the proteins that mediate apoptotic cell death (a topic that will be covered by a sister meeting held at the same time at the same location). What are the roles of these proteins in normal development? How are these death proteins differentially controlled, such as to generate the exquisitely precise patterns of cell elimination that are observed during development? How similar are the programs that mediate apoptotic cell death in different tissues? How do alterations in these pathways contribute to disease development? Many of the apoptotic proteins are conserved through evolution. Because developmental pathways are conserved, experimental model organisms can thus shed light on the various mechanisms and roles of apoptosis during human development. Moreover, analysis of the mechanisms of developmental cell death in other species has revealed that apoptosis is but one of many distinct cell death programs that exist in nature. What are the molecular pathways that mediate non-apoptotic programmed cell death? Might these nonapoptotic pathways also be involved in programmed cell death during mammalian development? By bringing together scientist working on the same problem but in different systems (tissues and/or species), this meeting aims to: .Allow attendees to discern which genes and aspects of apoptosis are fundamental, and which might be system-specific. . Increase the transfer of knowledge between experimental systems - such that """"""""rules"""""""" established in one system can be tested and verified in others. . Encourage the study of apoptosis in development to better understand apoptotic pathways that can be altered in disease states.
