title: Cell death in protists without mitochondria.
abstract: Some protozoans, such as Trichomonad species, do not possess mitochondria. Most of the time, they harbor another type of membrane-bounded organelle, called hydrogenosome from its capacity to produce H(2). This is the case for the human parasite Trichomonas vaginalis. Some other parasites, such as the protist Giardia lamblia, do not harbor any of these organelles. From this observation arises naturally a naive question: How do cells die when the mitochondrion, the cornerstone of apoptotic process, is absent? Data strongly suggest that the mitochondrion and the hydrogenosome arose from a common ancestral endosymbiont. But hydrogenosomes do not appear to directly substitute for mitochondria in apoptotic functions. Thus, it appears judicious to examine more closely the genome of unicellular cells, which do not harbor mitochondria, and search for new molecules that could participate in the apoptotic process in these microorganisms.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Génie Enzymatique et Cellulaire, UMR CNRS 6022, Université de Technologie de Compiegne, B.P. 20529, 60205 Compiègne Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Chose
authors.forename: Claude-Olivier
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Sarde
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Noël
authors.forename: Delphine
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gerbod
authors.forename: Juan-Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Jimenez
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Capron
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Viscogliosi
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roseto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology*; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016829:Giardia lamblia / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology*; D013559:Symbiosis; D014246:Trichomonas vaginalis / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D006859:Hydrogen