title: Cytochrome c-d regulates developmental apoptosis in the Drosophila retina.
abstract: The role of cytochrome c (Cyt c) in caspase activation has largely been established from mammalian cell-culture studies, but much remains to be learned about its physiological relevance in situ. The role of Cyt c in invertebrates has been subject to considerable controversy. The Drosophila genome contains distinct cyt c genes: cyt c-p and cyt c-d. Loss of cyt c-p function causes embryonic lethality owing to a requirement of the gene for mitochondrial respiration. By contrast, cyt c-d mutants are viable but male sterile. Here, we show that cyt c-d regulates developmental apoptosis in the pupal eye. cyt c-d mutant retinas show a profound delay in the apoptosis of superfluous interommatidial cells and perimeter ommatidial cells. Furthermore, there is no apoptosis in mutant retinal tissues for the Drosophila homologues of apoptotic protease-activating factor 1 (Ark) and caspase 9 (Dronc). In addition, we found that cyt c-d--as with ark and dronc-regulates scutellar bristle number, which is known to depend on caspase activity. Collectively, our results indicate a role of Cyt c in caspase regulation of Drosophila somatic cells.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Strang Laboratory of Cancer Research, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue Box 252, 10021, New York, New York 10021, USA.
authors.forename: César S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Arama
authors.forename: Samara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Scherr
authors.forename: Mayank
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Srivastava
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bergmann
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Steller
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mollereau
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D020169:Caspases / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019069:Cell Respiration; D045304:Cytochromes c / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation; D011679:Pupa / Q000378:metabolism; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C494410:cytochrome c distal, Drosophila; C400550:dark protein, Drosophila; D045304:Cytochromes c; D020169:Caspases; C118731:dronc protein, Drosophila