Year: 2024
Type: review
Abstract: Multicellular communities have an intrinsic mechanism that optimizes their structure and function via cell-cell communication. One of the driving forces for such self-organization of the multicellular system is cell competition, the elimination of viable unfit or deleterious cells via cell-cell interaction. Studies in Drosophila and mammals have identified multiple mechanisms of cell competition caused by different types of mutations or cellular changes. Intriguingly, recent studies have found that different types of "losers" of cell competition commonly show reduced protein synthesis. In Drosophila, the reduction in protein synthesis levels in loser cells is caused by phosphorylation of the translation initiation factor eIF2α via a bZip transcription factor Xrp1. Given that a variety of cellular stresses converge on eIF2α phosphorylation and thus global inhibition of protein synthesis, cell competition may be a machinery that optimizes multicellular fitness by removing stressed cells. In this review, we summarize and discuss emerging signaling mechanisms and critical unsolved questions, as well as the role of protein synthesis in cell competition.
Source: FEBS Letters
Authors: Rina Nagata, Tatsushi Igaki
Institution: Kyoto University
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,790
Funders: Naito Foundation, Takeda Science Foundation, Japan Foundation for Applied Enzymology, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology
OpenAlex ID: W4391817162