The tale of caspase homologues and their evolutionary outlook: deciphering programmed cell death in cyanobacteria.

ABSTRACT: Programmed cell death (PCD), a genetically orchestrated mechanism of cellular demise, is paradoxically required to support life. As in lower eukaryotes and bacteria, PCD in cyanobacteria is poorly appreciated, despite recent biochemical and molecular evidence that supports its existence. Cyanobacterial PCD is an altruistic reaction to stressful conditions that significantly enhances genetic diversity and inclusive fitness of the population. Recent bioinformatic analysis has revealed an abundance of death-related proteases, i.e. orthocaspases (OCAs) and their mutated variants, in cyanobacteria, with the larger genomes of morphologically complex strains harbouring most of them. Sequence analysis has depicted crucial accessory domains along with the proteolytic p20-like sub-domain in OCAs, pr

SUBMITTER: Bhattacharjee S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7475262 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature