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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2008 Dec 2.
Published in final edited form as: Cell. 2007 Jun 1;129(5):861–863. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2007.05.030

Figure 1. GAPDH as a Regulator of caspase-Independent cell Death.

Figure 1

GAPDH was identified in a genetic screen in which cells were infected with a retroviral cDNA library and treated with caspase inhibitors and staurosporine (STS), which leads to mitochondrial outer-membrane permeabilization. Surviving cell clones were cultured with staurosporine alone to identify those that specifically resisted caspase-independent cell death but were susceptible to apoptosis. The proposed mechanism for GAPDH-mediated resistance to caspase-independent cell death occurs through dual cytoplasmic and nuclear functions. In the cytoplasm, GAPDH promotes glucose metabolism to sustain cellular ATP levels. In the nucleus, GAPDH leads to induction of ATG12 expression, which enhances degradation of damaged mitochondria through autophagy.