Paradoxically, dying cancer cells can be the origin of signals which induce proliferation of surviving cells and thus can cause even stronger tumor growth. The Bergmann Lab has developed genetic models which mimic this process termed “Apoptosis-induced Compensatory Proliferation” (AiP). In genetic screens, they have identified several genes involved in AiP.  The analysis of these genes for understanding the mechanisms of AiP and their potential role in cancer is in progress.

• Fan Y and Bergmann A (2008). Apoptosis-induced Compensatory Proliferation: The cell is dead. Long live the Cell! Trends in Cell Biology 18, 467-473.
• Fan Y and Bergmann A (2008). Distinct Mechanisms of Apoptosis-induced Compensatory Proliferation in Proliferating and Differentiating Eye Tissues in Drosophila. Developmental Cell 14, 399-410.
• Ryoo HD, and Bergmann A (2012). The role of Apoptosis-induced Proliferation for Regeneration and Cancer. In: Cell Survival and Cell Death, Eds: EH Baehrecke, DR Green, S Kornbluth and G Salvesen, Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 4(8). pii: a008797. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a008797.
• Fan Y et al. (2014). Genetic models of apoptosis-induced proliferation decipher activation of JNK and identify a requirement of EGFR signaling for tissue regenerative responses in Drosophila. PLoS Genetics 10(1) e1004131.