title: Phagocytosis genes nonautonomously promote developmental cell death in the Drosophila ovary.
abstract: Programmed cell death (PCD) is usually considered a cell-autonomous suicide program, synonymous with apoptosis. Recent research has revealed that PCD is complex, with at least a dozen cell death modalities. Here, we demonstrate that the large-scale nonapoptotic developmental PCD in the Drosophila ovary occurs by an alternative cell death program where the surrounding follicle cells nonautonomously promote death of the germ line. The phagocytic machinery of the follicle cells, including Draper, cell death abnormality (Ced)-12, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), is essential for the death and removal of germ-line-derived nurse cells during late oogenesis. Cell death events including acidification, nuclear envelope permeabilization, and DNA fragmentation of the nurse cells are impaired when phagocytosis is inhibited. Moreover, elimination of a small subset of follicle cells prevents nurse cell death and cytoplasmic dumping. Developmental PCD in the Drosophila ovary is an intriguing example of nonapoptotic, nonautonomous PCD, providing insight on the diversity of cell death mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215.
authors.forename: Allison K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Timmons
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215.
authors.forename: Albert A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Mondragon
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215.
authors.forename: Claire E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Schenkel
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215.
authors.forename: Alla
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yalonetskaya
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215.
authors.forename: Jeffrey D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215.
authors.forename: Katherine E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Moynihan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215.
authors.forename: Jon Iker
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Etchegaray
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215.
authors.forename: Tracy L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Meehan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215 kmccall@bu.edu.
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McCall
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016923:Cell Death / Q000235:genetics*; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D010053:Ovary / Q000166:cytology*; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: Drosophila; cell death; engulfment; ovary; phagocytosis