title: Somatically expressed germ-granule components, PGL-1 and PGL-3, repress programmed cell death in C. elegans.
abstract: We previously reported that germline apoptosis in C. elegans increased by loss of PGL-1 and PGL-3, members of a family of constitutive germ-granule components, from germ cells in adult hermaphrodite gonads. In this study, we found that somatic apoptosis was reduced in synthetic multivulva class B (synMuv B) mutants due to ectopic expression of PGL-1 and PGL-3 in the soma. In synMuv B-mutant somatic cells, CED-4 expression level was reduced due to ectopic expression of PGL-1. Furthermore, in contrast to wild type, somatic apoptosis in synMuv B mutants increased following DNA damage in a SIR-2.1-dependent manner. Intriguingly, somatic apoptosis was repressed not only in synMuv B mutants but also by ectopically expressing pgl-1 and/or pgl-3 transgenes in wild-type somatic cells. Our study demonstrates that germ-granule components, PGL-1 and PGL-3, can serve as negative regulators of apoptosis not only in the germline but also in the soma in C. elegans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Amin
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyemin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Min
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yhong-Hee
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; C114543:PGL-1 protein, C elegans; C534959:PGL-3 protein, C elegans; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins