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Apoptosis: Mechanisms and Role in Disease pp 45–61Cite as

The Point of No Return: Mitochondria, Caspases, and the Commitment to Cell Death

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Part of the book series: Results and Problems in Cell Differentiation ((RESULTS,volume 24))

Abstract

It is standard procedure in many modern societies to attempt to establish an accurate time of death whenever a person dies. If the individual is under observation at the time, then the decision of exactly when death occurs is based on a set of physiological criteria. Alternatively, if the death was unobserved, then time of death is approximated using forensic clues. In either case we have a fair idea of what it means to die, and when it occurs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, 10355 Science Center Dr., San Diego, California, 92121, USA

    Douglas R. Green & Gustavo P. Amarante-Mendes

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  1. Douglas R. Green
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  2. Gustavo P. Amarante-Mendes
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hanson Centre for Cancer Research, Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, P. O. Box 14, Rundle Mall, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia

    Sharad Kumar

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© 1998 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Green, D.R., Amarante-Mendes, G.P. (1998). The Point of No Return: Mitochondria, Caspases, and the Commitment to Cell Death. In: Kumar, S. (eds) Apoptosis: Mechanisms and Role in Disease. Results and Problems in Cell Differentiation, vol 24. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69185-3_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69185-3_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-21625-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-69185-3

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