Work

DRONC, an ecdysone-inducible Drosophila caspase

Year: 1999

Type: article

Abstract: Caspases play an essential role in the execution of programmed cell death in metazoans. Although 14 caspases are known in mammals, only a few have been described in other organisms. Here we describe the identification and characterization of a Drosophila caspase, DRONC, that contains an amino terminal caspase recruitment domain. Ectopic expression of DRONC in cultured cells resulted in apoptosis, which was inhibited by the caspase inhibitors p35 and MIHA. DRONC exhibited a substrate specificity similar to mammalian caspase-2. DRONC is ubiquitously expressed in Drosophila embryos during early stages of development. In late third instar larvae, dronc mRNA is dramatically up-regulated in salivary glands and midgut before histolysis of these tissues. Exposure of salivary glands and midgut isolated from second instar larvae to ecdysone resulted in a massive increase in dronc mRNA levels. These results suggest that DRONC is an effector of steroid-mediated apoptosis during insect metamorphosis.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.96.8.4307

Authors: Loretta Dorstyn, Paul A. Colussi, Leonie M. Quinn, Helena Richardson, Sharad Kumar

Institutions: South Australia Pathology, Hanson Institute, The University of Adelaide

Language: English

Topic: Cell death mechanisms and regulation

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: Wellcome Trust

OpenAlex ID: W2087487485

FWCI: 8.251

Cites: 31

Cited by: 281

Related to: 10