Ubiquitination of apoptotic cells in the developing cerebellum of the rat following ionizing radiation or methylazoxymethanol injection.

Previous studies have shown ubiquitin mRNA induction and protein expression associated with regressive phenomena in some cases of developmentally programmed cell death and experimentally induced apoptosis. Ubiquitin immunoreactivity was examined in the developing cerebellum of the rat following ionizing radiation or methylazoxymethanol (MAM) injection. In irradiated rats, apoptotic cells in the external granule cell layer appeared at 3 h, peaked at 6 h, and decreased thereafter to reach nearly normal values at 48 h. In MAM-treated rats, apoptotic cells in the external granule cell layer were seen at 24 h, peaked at 48 h, and decreased at 72 h. Strong ubiquitin expression was observed in about 15% of apoptotic cells at later stages of apoptosis in both experimental models of induced cell death. In irradiated rats, strong ubiquitin immunoreactivity in apoptotic cells and cellular debris was observed 12 h after irradiation, peaking at 24 h, and decreasing at 48 h. In MAM-treated rats, strong ubiquitin immunoreactivity was found in apoptotic cells and cellular debris at 48 h and decreased at 72 h. Results suggest that activation of the ubiquitin pathway is not a signal that triggers apoptosis but rather a final step in the apoptotic process.