The appearance of cytoplasmic cytochrome C precedes apoptosis during Drosophila salivary gland degradation

In this study, we discovered that during the degradation ofDrosophila salivary gland, the transcription ofmitochondria apoptosis factors (MAPFs),Cyt-c, anddeath-associated APAF1-related killer (Dark) encoding genes are all upregulated antecedent toinitiator andeffector caspases encoding genes. The proteins Cyt-c and the active caspase 3 appear gradually in the cytoplasm during salivary gland degradation. Meanwhile, the Cyt-c protein colocates with mito-GFP, the marker indicating cytoplasmic mitochondria, and the change in mitochondrial membrane potential coincides with the appearance of Cyt-c in the cytoplasm. Moreover, impeding or promoting 20E-induced transcription factor E93 suppresses or enhances the staining of Cyt-c and the active caspase 3 in the cytoplasm of salivary gland, and accordingly decreases or increases the mitochondrial membrane potential, respectively. Our research provides evidence that cytoplasmic Cyt-c appears before apoptosis duringDrosophila salivary gland degradation, shedding light on partial conserved mechanism in apoptosis between insects and mammals.
Source: Insect Science - Category: Biology Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research