Role of the Fas/Fas ligand system in female reproductive organs: survival and apoptosis

For centuries, the question of "whether there is life after death" has intrigued the mind of philosophers and the same question fascinates researchers in the field of apoptosis today. The death of a cell is by no means the end of the story. On the contrary, growing evidence suggests that the clearance of apoptotic bodies by macrophages is an important regulatory component in tissue renewal. Without death by apoptosis, the life of reproductive tissues and their function would not be possible. The survival signals that counteract cell death also prepare the cells for apoptosis, and dead cells are important stimuli for tissue survival. The Fas/Fas ligand system is an important mediator of apoptosis and is an excellent example of this apparently contradictory phenomenon. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.