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First published online April 24, 2006

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`Off' switch for yeast death programme

Whether yeast cells can undergo programmed cell death (PCD) is somewhat controversial. Key to the idea is the identification of yeast proteins related to the death machinery of higher organisms, such as caspase-like proteins and mitochondrial fission factors. On p. 1843, Birthe Fahrenkrog and co-workers provide further support for yeast PCD by describing the first bona fide anti-apoptotic factor in yeast, Bir1p. Bir1p is a relative of the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) that regulate apoptosis in nematode, fly and mammalian cells. The authors now demonstrate that deletion of BIR1 sensitizes yeast cells to a death stimulus (oxidative stress) and that overexpression of BIR1 confers resistance to this. They also reveal that Bir1p can be cleaved and inhibited by Nma111p, the yeast orthologue of the pro-apoptotic protease Omi/HtrA2 that antagonizes IAPs in higher organisms. Thus not only do the new findings dispel any lingering doubts that yeast possesses a regulated PCD mechanism; they also indicate that it represents a useful - genetically tractable - model system for examination of evolutionarily conserved apoptotic mechanisms, including those involving IAPs.

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Related articles in JCS:

The inhibitor-of-apoptosis protein Bir1p protects against apoptosis in S. cerevisiae and is a substrate for the yeast homologue of Omi/HtrA2

David Walter, Silke Wissing, Frank Madeo, and Birthe Fahrenkrog
JCS 2006 119: 1843-1851. [Abstract] [Full Text]  

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in JCS Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?