Affiliation:
1. Institute of Molecular Biosciences, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
2. Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology, San Francisco, CA 94158
3. Apoptosis, Cancer, and Immunity Unit, Institut Gustave Roussy, Faculté Paris Sud-Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris XI, France
Abstract
The purpose of apoptosis in multicellular organisms is obvious: single cells die for the benefit of the whole organism (for example, during tissue development or embryogenesis). Although apoptosis has also been shown in various microorganisms, the reason for this cell death program has remained unexplained. Recently published studies have now described yeast apoptosis during aging, mating, or exposure to killer toxins (Fabrizio, P., L. Battistella, R. Vardavas, C. Gattazzo, L.L. Liou, A. Diaspro, J.W. Dossen, E.B. Gralla, and V.D. Longo. 2004. J. Cell Biol. 166:1055–1067; Herker, E., H. Jungwirth, K.A. Lehmann, C. Maldener, K.U. Frohlich, S. Wissing, S. Buttner, M. Fehr, S. Sigrist, and F. Madeo. 2004. J. Cell Biol. 164:501–507, underscoring the evolutionary benefit of a cell suicide program in yeast and, thus, giving a unicellular organism causes to die for.
Publisher
Rockefeller University Press