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Inside an enigma: do mitochondria contribute to cell death in Drosophila?

  • Apoptosis in Drosophila
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Abstract

Mitochondria have been shown to play an important role in cell death in mammalian cells. However, the importance of mitochondria in Drosophila apoptosis is still under investigation. Many proteins involved in the regulation of apoptosis in mammals act at mitochondria or are released from mitochondria, resulting in caspase activation. In addition, these organelles undergo significant ultrastructural changes during apoptosis. This review highlights similarities and differences in the roles of mitochondria and mitochondrial factors in apoptosis between Drosophila and mammals. In Drosophila, many key regulators of apoptosis also appear to localize to this organelle, which also undergoes ultrastructural changes during apoptosis. Although many of the proteins important for the control of apoptosis in mammalian cells are conserved in Drosophila, the role that mitochondria play in apoptosis in this model system remains an area of controversy and active research.

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Acknowledgments

KW is supported by grants GM55568 and GM69541 from N.I.H.

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  1. Fitchburg State College, Fitchburg, MA, USA

    Ronald J. Krieser

  2. Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, 129 13th Street, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA

    Kristin White

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Krieser, R.J., White, K. Inside an enigma: do mitochondria contribute to cell death in Drosophila?. Apoptosis 14, 961–968 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10495-009-0362-6

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