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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Jan 17.
Published in final edited form as: Expert Opin Ther Pat. 2011 Dec 23;22(1):37–55. doi: 10.1517/13543776.2012.644274

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Extrinsic and intrinsic pathways of apoptosis. The onset of apoptosis is controlled by numerous interrelating processes. The extrinsic pathway is activated by external signals such as Fas ligand (FasL) or TRAIL, which act through death receptors. Subsequently Caspase-8 is activated through Fas-associated death domain (FADD). The intrinsic pathway is initiated by different signals, primarily extracellular stimuli. Mitochondria are an essential component of the intrinsic pathway and harbor an array of apoptotic factors. The Bcl-2 family is a primary regulator of the intrinsic pathway.