Adenine nucleotide translocator cooperates with core cell death machinery to promote apoptosis in Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT: In Caenorhabditis elegans, the central cell-killing process is essentially controlled by the interplay of four apoptotic factors: EGL-1/BH3-only protein, CED-9/Bcl2, CED-4/Apaf1, and CED-3/caspase. In cells destined to die, EGL-1 binds to CED-9 and results in the release of CED-4 from the mitochondrion-tethered CED-9-CED-4 complex to the perinucleus, which facilitates processing of the CED-3 caspase to cause apoptosis. However, whether additional factors exist to regulate the cell-killing process remains largely unknown. We have identified here WAN-1, the C. elegans ortholog of mammalian adenine nucleotide translocator, as an important cell death regulator. Genetic inactivation of wan-1 significantly suppressed both somatic and germ line cell deaths in C. elegans. Consistently, chemical in

SUBMITTER: Shen Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2704750 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature