Crosstalk between Substrates and Rho-Associated Kinase Inhibitors in Cryopreservation of Tissue-Engineered Constructs

Figure 1

Two distinctive apoptosis pathways. Extrinsic pathway death receptors present on the cell membrane ligate due to the binding of their ligands, resulting in the recruitment of Fas-associated protein, activating caspase-8. The active caspase-8 then activates downstream caspases-3 and Bid. Truncated Bid (tBid) activates proapoptotic proteins Bax and Bak on mitochondria. Intrinsic pathway triggers permeabilization of the mitochondrial membrane, which further triggers release of cytochrome c, which binds to Apaf-1, which in turn self-associates and binds procaspase-9, resulting in an apoptosome. Transactivation of the complex procaspase-9 to active caspase-9 follows, and the caspase then cleaves and activates downstream caspases.