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  • The EMBO Journal (2007) 26, 380 - 390
  • doi:10.1038/sj.emboj.7601484

Published online: 21 December 2006

Foxo and Fos regulate the decision between cell death and survival in response to UV irradiation

Xi Luo1, Oscar Puig2, Joogyung Hyun3, Dirk Bohmann3 and Heinrich Jasper1

  1. Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
  2. Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari, Finland
  3. Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA

Correspondence to:

Heinrich Jasper, Department of Biology, University of Rochester, River Campus Box 270211, Rochester, NY 14627, USA. Tel.: +1 585 275 8973; Fax: +1 585 275 2070; E-mail: henri_jasper@urmc.rochester.edu

Received 12 July 2006; Accepted 8 November 2006

Cells damaged by environmental insults have to be repaired or eliminated to ensure tissue homeostasis in metazoans. Recent studies suggest that the balance between cell survival signals and pro-apoptotic stimuli controls the decision between cell repair and death. How these competing signals are integrated and interpreted to achieve accurate control over cell fate in vivo is incompletely understood. Here, we show that the Forkhead Box O transcription factor Foxo and the AP-1 transcription factor DFos are required downstream of Jun-N-terminal kinase signaling for the apoptotic response to UV-induced DNA damage in the developing Drosophila retina. Both transcription factors regulate the pro-apoptotic gene hid. Our results indicate that UV-induced apoptosis is repressed by receptor tyrosine kinase-mediated inactivation of Foxo. These data suggest that integrating stress and survival signals through Foxo drives the decision between cell death and repair of damaged cells in vivo.

  • Keywords:

    • apoptosis,
    • DNA damage,
    • Foxo,
    • JNK,
    • stress signaling