The Effector Phase of Physiological Cell Death Relies Exclusively on the Posttranslational Activation of Resident Components

We examined virally transformed murine fibroblast clones as targets for cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-triggered lysis and genome digestion. Strikingly, while all clones were essentially equivalent in the ability to be lysed, one clone, SV3T3-B2.1, failed to exhibit genome digestion associated with CTL attack. Other aspects of the physiological cell death process, including loss of adhesion and nuclear envelope breakdown (lamin phosphorylation and solubilization), were not altered in this clone. The absence of genome digestion associated with CTL-induced cell death correlated with the absence of endodeoxyribonuclease activity in the nuclei of that clone. Characterization of the activity affected identifies a calcium-dependent, DNase I-like endonuclease of approximately 40 kDa, normally present constitutively in all cell nuclei, as the enzyme responsible for genome digestion associated with CTL-mediated cell death. These observations indicate that neither genome digestion per se nor its consequences [such as activation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase] are essential for cell death resulting from the triggering of this cell suicide process.

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Physiological cell death in normal and abnormal rodent limb development

Abnormal Embryogenesis ◽

10.1007/978-94-011-6654-6_8 ◽

1979 ◽

pp. 135-142 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

W. J. Scott

Keyword(s):

Cell Death ◽

Limb Development ◽

Physiological Cell Death

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Tissue Transglutaminase: A Candidate Effector Element of Physiological Cell Death

Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology - Apoptosis in Immunology ◽

10.1007/978-3-642-79437-7_12 ◽

1995 ◽

pp. 163-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

M. Piacentini

Keyword(s):

Cell Death ◽

Tissue Transglutaminase ◽

Physiological Cell Death

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Genome digestion is a dispensable consequence of physiological cell death mediated by cytotoxic T lymphocytes

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.12.7.3060-3069.1992 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

pp. 3060-3069

Author(s):

D S Ucker ◽

P S Obermiller ◽

W Eckhart ◽

J R Apgar ◽

N A Berger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Death ◽

Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte ◽

Death Process ◽

Cell Nuclei ◽

Calcium Dependent ◽

Nuclear Envelope Breakdown ◽

Murine Fibroblast ◽

Cell Death Process ◽

Cell Suicide ◽

Physiological Cell Death

We examined virally transformed murine fibroblast clones as targets for cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-triggered lysis and genome digestion. Strikingly, while all clones were essentially equivalent in the ability to be lysed, one clone, SV3T3-B2.1, failed to exhibit genome digestion associated with CTL attack. Other aspects of the physiological cell death process, including loss of adhesion and nuclear envelope breakdown (lamin phosphorylation and solubilization), were not altered in this clone. The absence of genome digestion associated with CTL-induced cell death correlated with the absence of endodeoxyribonuclease activity in the nuclei of that clone. Characterization of the activity affected identifies a calcium-dependent, DNase I-like endonuclease of approximately 40 kDa, normally present constitutively in all cell nuclei, as the enzyme responsible for genome digestion associated with CTL-mediated cell death. These observations indicate that neither genome digestion per se nor its consequences [such as activation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase] are essential for cell death resulting from the triggering of this cell suicide process.

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