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Caspase-Independent Cell Death Mechanisms in Simple Animal Models

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Acute Neuronal Injury

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Abstract

Caspase proteases are key mediators of apoptotic cell death, playing both regulatory and executioner roles. Traditionally, the requirement for caspase activity has been one of the defining features of classical apoptosis and has been used to discriminate between different types of cell death. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that a wide spectrum of cell death paradigms does not involve caspase proteases. It is now established that mostly in cases of pathological and accidental cell death and also in certain situations of developmentally programmed cell death, cellular destruction proceeds without activation of caspases. Instead, alternative, caspase-independent mechanisms are brought to bear. In this chapter, we survey caspase-independent cell death mechanisms in two invertebrate animal models, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. We highlight common elements among different instances of cell demise, which point to evolutionarily conserved death mechanisms. Such mechanisms are likely to be relevant to pathological cell death in humans also.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of numerous investigators, whom we did not include in this review. Work in the authors’ laboratory is funded by grants from EMBO and the EU 6th Framework Programme to N.T.

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  1. Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Vassilika Vouton, 1385, Heraklion, 71110, Crete, Greece

    Matthias Rieckher & Nektarios Tavernarakis

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  1. Matthias Rieckher
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  2. Nektarios Tavernarakis
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Correspondence to Nektarios Tavernarakis .

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    Denson G. Fujikawa

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Rieckher, M., Tavernarakis, N. (2010). Caspase-Independent Cell Death Mechanisms in Simple Animal Models. In: Fujikawa, D. (eds) Acute Neuronal Injury. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-73226-8_2

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