The presence and subcellular localization of caspase 3‐like proteinases in plant cells

FEBS Letters

Berecki, Géza²  Bruin, Wouter¹  Korthout, Henrie A.A.J.¹  van Duijn, Bert¹  Wang, Mei¹ 

[1]Center for Phytotechnology UL/TNO, TNO Department of Applied Plant Sciences, Wassenaarseweg 64, 2333 AL Leiden, The Netherlands

[2]Center for Phytotechnology UL/TNO, Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, Leiden, The Netherlands

关键词: Caspase 3;    Mitochondrion;    Micro-injection;    Apoptosis;    Plant;    Chara;    Ac-DEVD-AMC;    N-acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin;    Ac-YVAD-AMC;    N-acetyl-Tyr-Val-Ala-Asp-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin;    APW;    artificial pond water;    DAF;    days after flowering;    d-ft;    dextran conjugated fluorescein-tetramethylrhodamine;    DTT;    dithiothreitol;    fmk;    fluoromethylketone;    EDTA;    ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid;    HR;    hypersensitive response;    PARP;    poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase;    PCD;    programmed cell death;    PMSF;    phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride;    PVP;    polyvinylpyrrolidone;   

DOI  :  10.1016/S0014-5793(00)01643-4

学科分类：生物化学/生物物理

来源: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

【 摘 要 】

Caspases play a very important role in initiating and executing apoptotic processes in animal cells. In this study we show that plant mitochondria were able to initiate the activation of caspase 3 in a Xenopus cell free system. Caspase 3-like activity was found to be present in plant cells and could only be inhibited by the specific caspase 3 inhibitor N-acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-fluoromethylketone (Ac-DEVD-fmk) and not by cysteine protease inhibitors. By micro-injection of the caspase 3 substrate in living Chara cells we showed that caspase 3-like activity was mainly present in the cytosol rather than in the vacuole. This is the first time that in vivo caspase 3-like activity has been demonstrated in plants.

【 授权许可】

Unknown