APAF1 and cancer: Given the notable conservation of cell-death proteins and pathways between C. elegans and mammals and the apparently conserved role of mitochondria in CED-9/BCL-2–dependent CED-4/APAF-1 activation, the answer to this question might add a key insight concerning the fundamental process of apoptosis and suggest novel targets for therapeutics aimed at treating disorders that involve dysregulated apoptosis, such as certain neurodegenerative disorders and cancers.