title: Constitutive expression of the machinery for programmed cell death.
abstract: In the presence of cycloheximide (CHX) to inhibit protein synthesis, a high concentration of staurosporine (STS) induces almost all cells in explant cultures of 8/8 types of newborn mouse organs and 3/3 types of adult mouse organs to die with the characteristic features of apoptosis. Eggs and blastomeres also die in this way when treated with STS and CHX, although they are less sensitive to this treatment than trophectoderm or inner cell mass cells whose sensitivity resembles that of other developing cells. Human red blood cells are exceptional in being completely resistant to treatment with STS and CHX. As (STS plus CHX)-induced cell deaths have been shown to display the characteristic features of programmed cell death (PCD), we conclude that all mammalian nucleated cells are capable of undergoing PCD and constitutively express all the proteins required to do so. It seems that the machinery for PCD is in place and ready to run, even though its activation often depends on new RNA and protein synthesis.
authors.affiliation: MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weil
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Coles
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Raff
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Raff
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D001757:Blastomeres / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D003513:Cycloheximide / Q000494:pharmacology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D010063:Ovum / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D019311:Staurosporine
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; D003513:Cycloheximide; D019311:Staurosporine