title: Cleavage of Mcd1 by caspase-like protease Esp1 promotes apoptosis in budding yeast.
abstract: Over the last decade, yeast has been used successfully as a model system for studying the molecular mechanism of apoptotic cell death. Here, we report that Mcd1, the yeast homology of human cohesin Rad21, plays an important role in hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis in yeast. On induction of cell death, Mcd1 is cleaved and the C-terminal fragment is translocated from nucleus into mitochondria, causing the decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential and the amplification of cell death in a cytochrome c-dependent manner. We further demonstrate that the caspase-like protease Esp1 has dual functions and that it is responsible for the cleavage of Mcd1 during the hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis. When apoptosis is induced, Esp1 is released from the anaphase inhibitor Pds1. The activated Esp1 acts as caspase-like protease for the cleavage of Mcd1, which enhances the cell death via its translocation from nucleus to mitochondria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Qun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Zhaojie
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / Q000187:drug effects; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000187:drug effects; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000378:metabolism; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D021381:Protein Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D064247:Separase; D017384:Sequence Deletion
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; C490529:MCD1 protein, S cerevisiae; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D010450:Endopeptidases; D020169:Caspases; C577986:ESP1 protein, S cerevisiae; D064247:Separase