title: Protozoan programmed cell death--insights from Blastocystis deathstyles.
abstract: Programmed cell death (PCD) is an essential process in the growth and development of multicellular organisms. However, accumulating evidence indicates that unicellular eukaryotes can also undergo PCD with apoptosis-like features. The protozoan parasite Blastocystis hominis has been reported to exhibit both apoptotic and non-apoptotic features of PCD when exposed to a variety of stimuli. Recent observations of PCD pathways in Blastocystis suggest that this protozoan, as is the case with its multicellular counterparts, possesses complex cell-death mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Parasitology, Department of Microbiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117597. mictank@nus.edu.sg
authors.forename: Kevin S W
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: A M A
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Nasirudeen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D001343:Autophagy; D016845:Blastocystis hominis / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D020169:Caspases