Programmed cell death in the cellular differentiation of microbial eukaryotes

Programmed cell death process in freshwater Microcystis aeruginosa and marine Phaeocystis globosa induced by a plant derived allelochemical

Harmful algal blooms (HAB) are a serious problem worldwide. Allelochemicals from natural plants were recently thought to be promising anti-algaecide in controlling harmful algae. However, the programmed cell death (PCD) process of algae under allelopathic pressure induced by 5,4'-dihydroxyflavone (5,4'-DHF) was poorly understood. In this study, two common and worldwide distributed microalgae, Microcystis aeruginosa and Phaeocystis globosa were selected as target algae, and the PCD processes induced by 5,4'-DHF were cross-compared between the two species. Both algae species were inhibited significantly by 5,4'-DHF with the relative sensitivity of 0.11. To uncover the PCD progress systematically, signals for PCD triggering, antioxidant enzyme activity, photosynthetic ability variation, caspase-like activities and typical indicators were investigated. In both species, typical indicators of PCD - phosphatidylserine externalization and chromatin condensation - were detected. The intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO) and H₂O₂ were the potential signal molecules to stimulate PCD, and caspase-like activities were activated with an elevation of cytochrome c indicating the initiation of PCD in both species. However, P. globosa responded to 5,4'-DHF immediately after 3 h with the elevation of ROS and not in M. aeruginosa. Antioxidant enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in M. aeruginosa and P. globosa also showed different patterns on day 3. Specifically, SOD activity in M. aeruginosa increased significantly while it decreased significantly in P. globosa, CAT activity in M. aeruginosa decreased significantly while it increased significantly in P. globosa (p < 0.05). Malondialdehyde (MDA) content in P. globosa increased significantly (p < 0.001) while it showed no variation in M. aeruginosa. Overall, this study is one of the earliest studies to explore the inhibition and action mechanism of plant derived flavonoids on harmful algae from the perspective of PCD, and provide new insights into the antialgal mechanism of allelochemicals.

Combination of DNA demethylation and chemotherapy to trigger cell pyroptosis for inhalation treatment of lung cancer

Pyroptosis is an inflammation-dependent and self-cascade amplifying type of programmed cell death, serving as an effective means for activating the local immune response and improving the anticancer efficacy. As the effector of pyroptosis, gasdermin-E (GSDME) is silenced in most tumor cells. The gene silencing can be reversed by DNA demethylation, but the systemic side effects and toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents are inevitable. In this work, inhaled poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) porous microspheres loaded with Decitabine (DAC) and Doxorubicin (DOX) (denoted as CO-MPs) were prepared to induce cell pyroptosis for orthotopic lung cancer therapy with fewer systemic side effects. The CO-MPs showed a hollow and porous spherical morphology and exhibited an excellent aerodynamic property, lung distribution and a sustained release effect. The CO-MPs could reverse GSDME silencing and elevate the expression of cleaved-caspase 3 in tumor cells. The cleaved-caspase 3 protein cleaved the GSDEM protein to obtain GSDME-N protein, causing the rupture of cell plasma membranes, release of cell contents and activation of the immune system. The CO-MPs could lead to the suppression of lung tumors, the decrease of the lung metastatic nodules in tumor-bearing mice and the induction of immunological memory that provides continuous protection from the tumor rechallenge. The inhalable microspheres loaded with DAC and DOX could be an effective strategy for lung cancer treatment via the pyroptosis mechanism.

The evolution of multicellularity and cancer: views and paradigms

Conceptually and mechanistically, the evolution of multicellularity required the integration of single cells into new functionally, reproductively and evolutionary stable multicellular individuals. As part of this process, a change in levels of selection occurred, with selection at the multicellular level overriding selection at the cell level. The stability of multicellular individuals is dependent on a combination of mechanisms that supress within-group evolution, by both reducing the occurrence of somatic mutations as well as supressing somatic selection. Nevertheless, mutations that, in a particular microenvironment, confer mutant lineages a fitness advantage relative to normal somatic cells do occur, and can result in cancer. This minireview highlights several views and paradigms that relate the evolution of multicellularity to cancer. As a phenomenon, cancer is generally understood as a failure of multicellular systems to suppress somatic evolution. However, as a disease, cancer is interpreted in different frameworks: (i) a breakdown of cooperative behaviors underlying the evolution of multicellularity, (ii) a disruption of molecular networks established during the emergence of multicellularity to impose constraints on single-celled units, or (iii) an atavistic state resulting from reactivating primitive programs that originated in the earliest unicellular species. A number of assumptions are common in all the views relating cancer as a disease to the evolution of multicellularity. For instance, cancer is considered a reversal to unicellularity, and cancer cells are thought to both resemble unicellular organisms and benefit from ancestral-like traits. Nevertheless, potential limitations of current paradigms should be acknowledged as different perspectives can provide novel insights with potential therapeutic implications.

Ultrasound-Induced Escherichia coli O157:H7 Cell Death Exhibits Physical Disruption and Biochemical Apoptosis

Ultrasound has attracted great interest of both industry and scientific communities for its potential use as a physical processing and preservation tool. In this study, Escherichia coli O157:H7 was selected as the model microbe to investigate the ultrasound-induced cell death. Slight variations in membrane potential and ion exchanges across membrane induced by low-intensity ultrasound increased the membrane permeability of E. coli O157:H7, and this reversible sublethal effect can preserve the viability of E. coli O157:H7 and meanwhile be beneficial for bioprocessing application. In comparison, high-intensity ultrasound resulted in irreversible lethal effect on E. coli O157:H7, which can be applied in the field of microbial inactivation. In addition, both low- and high-intensity ultrasound induced either physical destruction or trigger genetically encoded apoptosis of E. coli O157:H7. Accumulation of reactive oxygen species and decrease of adenosine tri-phosphate might be related to the physiological and biochemical hallmarks of apoptosis, including exposed phosphatidylserine and activated caspases in E. coli O157:H7. The result provides novel insight into the mechanisms of non-thermal physical treatment on the inactivation of bacteria and lays foundation for the further research on the cell signaling and metabolic pathway in apoptotic bacteria.

Expression of Arabidopsis class 1 phytoglobin (AtPgb1) delays death and degradation of the root apical meristem during severe PEG-induced water deficit

Maintenance of a functional root is fundamental to plant survival in response to some abiotic stresses, such as water deficit. In this study, we found that overexpression of Arabidopsis class 1 phytoglobin (AtPgb1) alleviated the growth retardation of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced water stress by reducing programmed cell death (PCD) associated with protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This was in contrast to PEG-stressed roots down-regulating AtPgb1 that exhibited extensive PCD and reduced expression of several attenuators of ER stress, including BAX Inhibitor-1 (BI-1). The death program experienced by the suppression of AtPgb1 in stressed roots was mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ethylene. Suppression of ROS synthesis or ethylene perception reduced PCD and partially restored root growth. The PEG-induced cessation of root growth was preceded by structural changes in the root apical meristem (RAM), including the loss of cell and tissue specification, possibly as a result of alterations in PIN1- and PIN4-mediated auxin accumulation at the root pole. These events were attenuated by the overexpression of AtPgb1 and aggravated when AtPgb1 was suppressed. Specifically, suppression of AtPgb1 compromised the functionality of the WOX5-expressing quiescent cells (QCs), leading to the early and premature differentiation of the adjacent columella stem cells and to a rapid reduction in meristem size. The expression and localization of other root domain markers, such as SCARECROW (SCR), which demarks the endodermis and QCs, and WEREWOLF (WER), which specifies the lateral root cap, were also most affected in PEG-treated roots with suppressed AtPgb1. Collectively, the results demonstrate that AtPgb1 exercises a protective role in roots exposed to lethal levels of PEG, and suggest a novel function of this gene in ensuring meristem functionality through the retention of cell fate specification.

Structure-based domain assignment in Leishmania infantum EndoG: characterization of a pH-dependent regulatory switch and a C-terminal extension that largely dictates DNA substrate preferences

Mitochondrial endonuclease G from Leishmania infantum (LiEndoG) participates in the degradation of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) during parasite cell death and is catalytically inactive at a pH of 8.0 or above. The presence, in the primary sequence, of an acidic amino acid-rich insertion exclusive to trypanosomatids and its spatial position in a homology-built model of LiEndoG led us to postulate that this peptide stretch might act as a pH sensor for self-inhibition. We found that a LiEndoG variant lacking residues 145–180 is indeed far more active than its wild-type counterpart at pH values >7.0. In addition, we discovered that (i) LiEndoG exists as a homodimer, (ii) replacement of Ser211 in the active-site SRGH motif with the canonical aspartate from the DRGH motif of other nucleases leads to a catalytically deficient enzyme, (iii) the activity of the S211D variant can be restored upon the concomitant replacement of Ala247 with Arg and (iv) a C-terminal extension is responsible for the observed preferential cleavage of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and ssDNA–dsDNA junctions. Taken together, our results support the view that LiEndoG is a multidomain molecular machine whose nuclease activity can be subtly modulated or even abrogated through architectural changes brought about by environmental conditions and interaction with other binding partners.

Regulated Forms of Cell Death in Fungi

Cell death occurs in all domains of life. While some cells die in an uncontrolled way due to exposure to external cues, other cells die in a regulated manner as part of a genetically encoded developmental program. Like other eukaryotic species, fungi undergo programmed cell death (PCD) in response to various triggers. For example, exposure to external stress conditions can activate PCD pathways in fungi. Calcium redistribution between the extracellular space, the cytoplasm and intracellular storage organelles appears to be pivotal for this kind of cell death. PCD is also part of the fungal life cycle, in which it occurs during sexual and asexual reproduction, aging, and as part of development associated with infection in phytopathogenic fungi. Additionally, a fungal non-self-recognition mechanism termed heterokaryon incompatibility (HI) also involves PCD. Some of the molecular players mediating PCD during HI show remarkable similarities to major constituents involved in innate immunity in metazoans and plants. In this review we discuss recent research on fungal PCD mechanisms in comparison to more characterized mechanisms in metazoans. We highlight the role of PCD in fungi in response to exogenic compounds, fungal development and non-self-recognition processes and discuss identified intracellular signaling pathways and molecules that regulate fungal PCD.

Apoptosis of Candida albicans during the Interaction with Murine Macrophages: Proteomics and Cell-Death Marker Monitoring

Macrophages may induce fungal apoptosis to fight against C. albicans, as previously hypothesized by our group. To confirm this hypothesis, we analyzed proteins from C. albicans cells after 3 h of interaction with macrophages using two quantitative proteomic approaches. A total of 51 and 97 proteins were identified as differentially expressed by DIGE and iTRAQ, respectively. The proteins identified and quantified were different, with only seven in common, but classified in the same functional categories. The analyses of their functions indicated that an increase in the metabolism of amino acids and purine nucleotides were taking place, while the glycolysis and translation levels dropped after 3 h of interaction. Also, the response to oxidative stress and protein translation were reduced. In addition, seven substrates of metacaspase (Mca1) were identified (Cdc48, Fba1, Gpm1, Pmm1, Rct1, Ssb1, and Tal1) as decreased in abundance, plus 12 proteins previously described as related to apoptosis. Besides, the monitoring of apoptotic markers along 24 h of interaction (caspase-like activity, TUNEL assay, and the measurement of ROS and cell examination by transmission electron microscopy) revealed that apoptotic processes took place for 30% of the fungal cells, thus supporting the proteomic results and the hypothesis of macrophages killing C. albicans by apoptosis.

The deaths of a cell: how language and metaphor influence the science of cell death

Multicellular development and tissue maintenance involve the regular elimination of damaged and healthy cells. The science of this genetically regulated cell death is particularly rich in metaphors: 'programmed cell death' or 'cell suicide' is considered an 'altruistic' act on the part of a cell for the benefit of the organism as a whole. It is also considered a form of 'social control' exerted by the body/organism over its component cells. This paper analyzes the various functions of these metaphors and critical discussion about them within the scientific community. Bodies such as the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death (NCCD) have been charged with bringing order to the language of cell death to facilitate scientific progress. While the NCCD recommends adopting more objective biochemical terminology to describe the mechanisms of cell death, the metaphors in question retain an important function by highlighting the broader context within which cell death occurs. Scientific metaphors act as conceptual 'tools' which fulfill various roles, from highlighting a phenomenon as of particular interest, situating it in a particular context, or suggesting explanatory causal mechanisms.

Evolution of aging and death: what insights bacteria can provide

Several unresolved issues, paradoxes, and information voids characterize the field of evolution of aging. The recent discovery of aging-like phenomenon in Escherichia coli, marked by asymmetric segregation of damaged components, particularly protein aggregates, has created a number of new possibilities that remain underexplored. Bacterial systems can potentially throw light on issues such as: whether evolution of aging and evolution of death are different phenomena; whether aging is inevitable for life or is an evolved strategy; whether there could be selection for aging or aging is a pleiotropic effect of some other selection; what are the possible mechanisms of antagonistic pleiotropy, if any; and whether there are mechanisms of aging that are conserved throughout the hierarchy of life. Bacterial aging itself is underexplored and least understood as of now, but even scratching the surface appears to reveal things that may compel us to revise some of the classical concepts about evolution of aging. This warrants more focused and innovative inquiry into aging-like processes in bacteria.