Translocation of cytochrome c from the mitochondria to the cytosol occurs during heat-induced programmed cell death in cucumber plants

In mammals mitochondria play a critical role in the activation of programmed cell death (PCD). One mechanism by which mitochondria can commit a cell to death is by translocating cytochrome c into the cytosol where it activates cell death caspases. However, release of cytochrome c does not appear to...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:FEBS letters 1999-12, Vol.463 (1), p.151-154
Main Authors: Balk, Janneke, Leaver, Christopher J, McCabe, Paul F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Apoptosis
Blotting, Southern
Blotting, Western
Cell Membrane - metabolism
Cucumber
Cucumis sativus - cytology
Cucumis sativus - genetics
Cucumis sativus - metabolism
Cytochrome c
Cytochrome c Group - metabolism
Cytosol - metabolism
DNA Fragmentation
Mitochondria - metabolism
Mitochondrion
Oxygen Consumption
PCD, programmed cell death
Programmed cell death
Temperature
Time Factors
VDAC, voltage-dependent anion channel
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In mammals mitochondria play a critical role in the activation of programmed cell death (PCD). One mechanism by which mitochondria can commit a cell to death is by translocating cytochrome c into the cytosol where it activates cell death caspases. However, release of cytochrome c does not appear to be a feature of caspase activation in nematodes or insects, similarly, there is no evidence for cytochrome c release during the caspase-independent PCD that can occur in Dictyostelium cells. In an attempt to understand the underlying regulation of PCD in plants we investigated if mitochondrial components were released into the cytosol when plant cells are induced to undergo PCD. PCD was triggered in cucumber cotyledons by subjecting them to a short 55°C heat treatment. This heat treatment has previously been shown to trigger PCD in other plant species and cell death was confirmed in cucumber using morphological (cellular condensation) and molecular (DNA ‘laddering’) markers of PCD. We present evidence that, unlike Dictyostelium and invertebrate PCDs, cytochrome c release is an early event in plant PCD. The mitochondrial release of cytochrome c following a PCD-inducing stimulus in both plants and mammals suggests the pathways have been conserved during evolution, having been derived from ancestral unicellular death programmes.
ISSN:0014-5793
1873-3468
DOI:10.1016/S0014-5793(99)01611-7