Signal transduction pathways leading to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induced by DNA topoisomerase poisons

Abstract

In this overview, I have summarized the important pathways of stress-induced signal transduction: stabilization and activation of p53 playing a central role in stress-induced cell cycle checkpoint and apoptosis, and activation of ASK1-JNK/p38 pathway often induced by a variety of stress stimuli, which appears to be essentially required for apoptosis to follow.