Hatzold Julia, Conradt Barbara
Department of Genetics, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America.
PLoS Biol. 2008 Apr 8;6(4):e84. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0060084.
Asymmetric cell division and apoptosis (programmed cell death) are two fundamental processes that are important for the development and function of multicellular organisms. We have found that the processes of asymmetric cell division and apoptosis can be functionally linked. Specifically, we show that asymmetric cell division in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is mediated by a pathway involving three genes, dnj-11 MIDA1, ces-2 HLF, and ces-1 Snail, that directly control the enzymatic machinery responsible for apoptosis. Interestingly, the MIDA1-like protein GlsA of the alga Volvox carteri, as well as the Snail-related proteins Snail, Escargot, and Worniu of Drosophila melanogaster, have previously been implicated in asymmetric cell division. Therefore, C. elegans dnj-11 MIDA1, ces-2 HLF, and ces-1 Snail may be components of a pathway involved in asymmetric cell division that is conserved throughout the plant and animal kingdoms. Furthermore, based on our results, we propose that this pathway directly controls the apoptotic fate in C. elegans, and possibly other animals as well.
不对称细胞分裂和细胞凋亡（程序性细胞死亡）是多细胞生物体发育和功能的两个重要基本过程。我们发现，不对称细胞分裂和细胞凋亡过程在功能上存在联系。具体而言，我们表明秀丽隐杆线虫中的不对称细胞分裂由一条涉及三个基因dnj-11（MIDA1）、ces-2（HLF）和ces-1（Snail）的信号通路介导，这些基因直接控制负责细胞凋亡的酶机制。有趣的是，衣藻的类MIDA1蛋白GlsA以及果蝇的Snail相关蛋白Snail、Escargot和Worniu此前已被证明与不对称细胞分裂有关。因此，秀丽隐杆线虫的dnj-11（MIDA1）、ces-2（HLF）和ces-1（Snail）可能是整个动植物界保守的不对称细胞分裂相关信号通路中的组成部分。此外，基于我们的研究结果，我们提出该信号通路直接控制秀丽隐杆线虫以及可能其他动物的凋亡命运。
