Bcl-2 family members localize to tobacco chloroplasts and inhibit programmed cell death induced by chloroplast-targeted herbicides.
In mammalian cells, apoptosis is often mediated via organelles. While apoptotic-like cell death occurs in plants, the mechanistic details are unresolved. Transgenic tobacco plants have been generated that harbour selected animal anti-apoptotic genes. Subcellular fractionation followed by western blot analysis indicated that chloroplasts serve as a location for these animal anti-apoptotic proteins in addition to the established mitochondrial location. To explore the functional significance of this observation, tobacco plants were treated with three chloroplast-directed herbicides. Wild-type plants died and exhibited features associated with apoptosis. Transgenic plants survived and did not show any apoptotic-like characteristics. Moreover, the herbicide-induced apoptotic-like cell death was light requiring. It was concluded that chloroplasts may be involved in mediating certain types of plant programmed cell death.
Department of Plant Pathology, 406 Plant Sciences Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0722, USA.
Shaorong
S
Chen
Martin B
MB
Dickman
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002645:Chickens; D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D019254:Genes, bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006540:Herbicides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D005810:Multigene Family / Q000502:physiology*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051020:bcl-X Protein
D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; C494811:BCL2L1 protein, human; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; C087233:Ced-9 protein, C elegans; D006540:Herbicides; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051020:bcl-X Protein