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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Sep 18.
Published in final edited form as: Hear Res. 2016 Dec 2;349:129–137. doi: 10.1016/j.heares.2016.11.013

Fig. 2. Diagram of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis.

Fig. 2.

Apoptosis can be initiated when pro-apoptotic proteins such as BAX or BAD which overwhelm anti-apoptotic proteins of the BCL family. This destabilizes mitochondrial membranes, releasing Cytochrome c into the cytoplasm. Interaction of Cytochrome c with APAF forms an apoptosome, which enzymatically cleaves pro-caspase 1 into its active form. This initiator caspase in turn cleaves executor caspases (3, 6 and 7), which mediate programmed death and orderly fragmentation of the cell.