Mammalian Bax triggers apoptotic changes in yeast
Open Access
- 30 October 1998
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in FEBS Letters
- Vol. 438 (1-2) , 61-65
- https://doi.org/10.1016/s0014-5793(98)01227-7
Abstract
Apoptosis is co‐regulated by the conserved family of Bcl‐2‐related proteins, which includes both its agonists (Bax) and antagonists (Bcl‐XL). A mutant strain of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been shown to express all morphological signs of apoptosis. Overexpression of Bax is lethal in S. cerevisiae, whereas simultaneous overexpression of Bcl‐XL rescues the cells. We report that overexpression of mammalian Bax in a S. cerevisiae wild type strain triggers morphological changes similar to those of apoptotic metazoan cells: the loss of asymmetric distribution of plasma membrane phosphatidylserine, plasma membrane blebbing, chromatin condensation and margination, and DNA fragmentation. Simultaneous overexpression of Bcl‐XL prevents these changes. We demonstrate that Bax triggers phenotypic alterations in yeast strongly resembling those it causes in metazoan apoptotic cells.Keywords
This publication has 33 references indexed in Scilit:
- A Yeast Mutant Showing Diagnostic Markers of Early and Late ApoptosisThe Journal of cell biology, 1997
- Major DNA Fragmentation Is a Late Event in ApoptosisJournal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry, 1997
- Life with 6000 GenesScience, 1996
- Role of mitochondria and C‐terminal membrane anchor of Bcl‐2 in Bax induced growth arrest and mortality in Saccharomyces cerevisiaeFEBS Letters, 1996
- Early redistribution of plasma membrane phosphatidylserine is a general feature of apoptosis regardless of the initiating stimulus: inhibition by overexpression of Bcl-2 and Abl.The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 1995
- Apoptosis in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of DiseaseScience, 1995
- Retrograde lipid traffic in yeast: identification of two distinct pathways for internalization of fluorescent-labeled phosphatidylcholine from the plasma membrane.The Journal of cell biology, 1993
- The C. elegans cell death gene ced-3 encodes a protein similar to mammalian interleukin-1β-converting enzymeCell, 1993
- Changes of the compositional asymmetry of phospholipids associated to the increment in the membrane surface potentialBiochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes, 1991
- Outside-inside translocation of aminophospholipids in the human erythrocyte membrane is mediated by a specific enzymeBiochemistry, 1986