Mitochondria in Cell Death Regulation

Besides producing the majority of intracellular adenosine triphosphate and participating in many anabolic circuitries that are required for the survival of eukaryotic cells, mitochondria play a central role in various signaling pathways that actively provoke cell death, including distinct forms of apoptosis and regulated necrosis. Here, we discuss the lethal mechanisms activated by mitochondria in response to adverse conditions or developmental cues, placing special emphasis on the signal transduction cascades that control the cell fate at mitochondrial membranes.