Question

1. What is the “neurotrophic factor hypothesis”?

2. What is meant by “programmed” cell death?

3. Explain why phosphorylation of “Bad” suppresses apoptosis.

Answer 1

Ans 1) The Neutrophic factor hypothesis suggests that the target of innervation of a particular neuron produces a limited amount of neurotrophin i.e., a molecule which is essential for the survival of the neuron.

Ans 2) Programmed cell death is the death of a cell as a result of events inside a cell such as apoptosis. PCD is carried out in a biological process which usually confers advantage during the life cycle of an organism.

Ans 3) Phosphorylation of BAD at several Ser residueas result in inhibition of the proapoptotic activity of BAD and apoptosis, by reducing BAD assosiation with the antiapoototic molecule BCL-XL. It was hypothesized that the phosphorylation of BAD at Thr201 may also reduce BAD associtaion with BCL-XL.