Immune cell anti-apoptotic action

"Immune cell anti-apoptotic action" describes the process by which immune cells resist programmed cell death (apoptosis) through the upregulation or activity of anti-apoptotic proteins, mainly members of the BCL-2 family (such as BCL-2, BCL-xL, MCL-1, A1/BFL-1) and IAPs (such as XIAP, cIAPs, survivin). These proteins help immune cells survive during stress, inflammation, or malignancy. Cancer cells and certain immune cells can exploit these pathways to evade cell death, leading to treatment resistance and pathological immune responses. While drugs have been developed to selectively inhibit these proteins as cancer therapies, "immune cell anti-apoptotic action" is not a single molecular entity, but rather a coordinated survival mechanism. In summary, Immune cell anti-apoptotic action is a process, not a discrete, canonical therapeutic target. It refers to the collective prosurvival activity of several protein families in immune cells. Drugs exist for individual anti-apoptotic proteins, most notably for BCL-2 (venetoclax), but not for the broad, non-specific process described by this term.

Other names

Immune cell survival pathwaysimmune anti-apoptotic proteinsimmunocyte apoptosis resistance

Inhibition of anti-apoptotic proteins (e.g., BCL-2, MCL-1, IAPs), promoting mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis and caspase activation in immune cells or malignant cells