Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39833169›Full record

ArticleCell discovery2025

Apaf-1 is an evolutionarily conserved DNA sensor that switches the cell fate between apoptosis and inflammation.

Jie Ruan, Xuxia Wei, Suizhi Li, Zijian Ye, Linyi Hu, Ru Zhuang, Yange Cao, Shaozhou Wang, Shengpeng Wu, Dezhi Peng and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cell discovery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Membrane Stress and Ferroptosis: Lipid Dynamics in Cancer.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Jie RuanGuangdong Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, MOE Engineering Center of South China Sea Marine Biotechnology, Southern Laboratory of Ocean Science and Engineering (Zhuhai), State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Xuxia WeiGuangdong Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, MOE Engineering Center of South China Sea Marine Biotechnology, Southern Laboratory of Ocean Science and Engineering (Zhuhai), State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Suizhi LiGuangdong Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, MOE Engineering Center of South China Sea Marine Biotechnology, Southern Laboratory of Ocean Science and Engineering (Zhuhai), State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Zijian YeGuangdong Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, MOE Engineering Center of South China Sea Marine Biotechnology, Southern Laboratory of Ocean Science and Engineering (Zhuhai), State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Linyi HuGuangdong Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, MOE Engineering Center of South China Sea Marine Biotechnology, Southern Laboratory of Ocean Science and Engineering (Zhuhai), State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Ru ZhuangGuangdong Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, MOE Engineering Center of South China Sea Marine Biotechnology, Southern Laboratory of Ocean Science and Engineering (Zhuhai), State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Yange CaoGuangdong Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, MOE Engineering Center of South China Sea Marine Biotechnology, Southern Laboratory of Ocean Science and Engineering (Zhuhai), State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Shaozhou WangGuangdong Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, MOE Engineering Center of South China Sea Marine Biotechnology, Southern Laboratory of Ocean Science and Engineering (Zhuhai), State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Shengpeng WuGuangdong Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, MOE Engineering Center of South China Sea Marine Biotechnology, Southern Laboratory of Ocean Science and Engineering (Zhuhai), State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Dezhi PengGuangdong Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, MOE Engineering Center of South China Sea Marine Biotechnology, Southern Laboratory of Ocean Science and Engineering (Zhuhai), State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Shangwu ChenGuangdong Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, MOE Engineering Center of South China Sea Marine Biotechnology, Southern Laboratory of Ocean Science and Engineering (Zhuhai), State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Shaochun YuanGuangdong Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, MOE Engineering Center of South China Sea Marine Biotechnology, Southern Laboratory of Ocean Science and Engineering (Zhuhai), State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. yuanshch@mail.sysu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8755-7543
Anlong XuGuangdong Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Functional Genes, MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, MOE Engineering Center of South China Sea Marine Biotechnology, Southern Laboratory of Ocean Science and Engineering (Zhuhai), State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. lssxal@mail.sysu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1419-3494

Funding

Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (BUCM) 90010060920009Guangdong Science and Technology Department (Science and Technology Department, Guangdong Province) 2023A1515010541Guangdong Science and Technology Department (Science and Technology Department, Guangdong Province) 2023B1212060028National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 31770943National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) U23A6012
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Apoptotic protease activating factor 1 (Apaf-1) was traditionally defined as a scaffold protein in mammalian cells for assembling a caspase activation platform known as the 'apoptosome' after its binding to cytochrome c. Although Apaf-1 structurally resembles animal NOD-like receptor (NLR) and plant resistance (R) proteins, whether it is directly involved in innate immunity is still largely unknown. Here, we found that Apaf-1-like molecules from lancelets, fruit flies, mice, and humans have conserved DNA sensing functionality. Mechanistically, mammalian Apaf-1 recruits receptor-interacting protein 2 (RIP2, also known as RIPK2) via its WD40 repeat domain and promotes RIP2 oligomerization to initiate NF-κB-driven inflammation upon cytoplasmic DNA recognition. Furthermore, DNA binding of Apaf-1 determines cell fate by switching the cellular processes between intrinsic stimuli-activated apoptosis and inflammation. These findings suggest that Apaf-1 is an evolutionarily conserved DNA sensor and may serve as a cell fate checkpoint, which determines whether cells initiate inflammation or undergo apoptosis by distinct ligand binding.

Identifiers

PMID39833169
PMCPMC11747288

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.