Nuclear DNA fragmentation during cell death of short-lived ray tracheids in the conifer Pinus densiflora.
One key event in the programmed cell death is nuclear DNA fragmentation. We investigated the timing of nuclear DNA fragmentation during the cell death of short-lived ray tracheids in Pinus densiflora using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Fluorescence due to TUNEL was detected only in deformed nuclei that lacked obvious chromatin in ray tracheids that were adjacent to ray tracheids that no longer contained nuclei. Our observations revealed that nuclear DNA fragmentation occurred only at the final stage of cell death in ray tracheids in situ.
Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu-Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan.
Satoshi
S
Nakaba
Takafumi
T
Kubo
Ryo
R
Funada
D058506:Cambium / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D016923:Cell Death; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics*; D002473:Cell Wall; D002843:Chromatin / Q000235:genetics; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D028223:Pinus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D052584:Xylem / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*
D002843:Chromatin; D018744:DNA, Plant