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EMBO reports 6, 11, 1076–1081 (2005)
doi:10.1038/sj.embor.7400514
AOP Published online: 9 September 2005
Yeast caspase 1 links messenger RNA stability to apoptosis in yeast
Cristina Mazzoni1, Eva Herker2, Vanessa Palermo1, Helmut Jungwirth2, Tobias Eisenberg3, Frank Madeo3 & Claudio Falcone1
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1 Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Pasteur Institute–Cenci Bolognetti Foundation, University of Rome 'La Sapienza', Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
2 Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Strasse 4, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
3 IMB, Karl-Franzens University, Universitaetsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
To whom correspondence should be addressed
Cristina Mazzoni Tel: +(39 6) 4991 2257; Fax: +(39 6) 4991 2256; E-mail: cristina.mazzoni@uniroma1.it
Received 14 January 2005; Accepted 28 July 2005; Published online 9 September 2005.
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Abstract
During the past years, yeasts have been successfully established as models to study the mechanisms of apoptotic regulation. We recently showed that mutations in the LSM4 gene, which is involved in messenger RNA decapping, lead to increased mRNA stability and apoptosis in yeast. Here, we show that mitochondrial function and YCA1, which encodes a budding yeast metacaspase, are necessary for apoptosis triggered by stabilization of mRNAs. Deletion of YCA1 in yeast cells mutated in the LSM4 gene prevents mitochondrial fragmentation and rapid cell death during chronological ageing of the culture, diminishes reactive oxygen species accumulation and DNA breakage, and increases resistance to H2O2 and acetic acid. mRNA levels in lsm4 mutants deleted for YCA1 are still increased, positioning the Yca1 budding yeast caspase as a downstream executor of cell death induced by mRNA perturbations. In addition, we show that mitochondrial function is necessary for fast death during chronological ageing, as well as in LSM4 mutated and wild-type cells.
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