title: Arsenic induces caspase- and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
abstract: In recent years, it has been shown that yeast, a unicellular organism, undergoes apoptosis in response to various factors. Here we demonstrate that the highly effective anticancer agent arsenic induces apoptotic process in yeast cells. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was observed in the process. Moreover, mitochondrial membrane potential decreased after arsenic treatment. Resistance of the rho(0) mutant strain (lacking mtDNA) to arsenic provides further evidence that this death process involves mitochondria. In addition, hypersensitivity of Deltasod1 to arsenic suggests the critical role of ROS. Cell death and DNA fragmentation decreased in a Deltayca1 deletion mutant, indicating the participation of yeast caspase-1 protein in apoptosis. The implications of these findings for arsenic-induced apoptosis are discussed.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jingsi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yongjing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xiangjun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D001151:Arsenic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018053:Arsenites / Q000494:pharmacology; D020169:Caspases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D053938:DNA Fragmentation / Q000187:drug effects; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D018053:Arsenites; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D020169:Caspases; C456272:MCA1 protein, S cerevisiae; C015001:arsenite; D001151:Arsenic