Ceramide Biogenesis Is Required for Radiation-Induced Apoptosis in the Germ Line of C. elegans

Abstract

Ceramide engagement in apoptotic pathways has been a topic of controversy. To address this controversy, we tested loss-of-function (lf) mutants of conserved genes of sphingolipid metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans . Although somatic (developmental) apoptosis was unaffected, ionizing radiation–induced apoptosis of germ cells was obliterated upon inactivation of ceramide synthase and restored upon microinjection of long-chain natural ceramide. Radiation-induced increase in the concentration of ceramide localized to mitochondria and was required for BH3-domain protein EGL-1–mediated displacement of CED-4 (an APAF-1–like protein) from the CED-9 (a Bcl-2 family member)/CED-4 complex, an obligate step in activation of the CED-3 caspase. These studies define CEP-1 (the worm homolog of the tumor suppressor p53)–mediated accumulation of EGL-1 and ceramide synthase–mediated generation of ceramide through parallel pathways that integrate at mitochondrial membranes to regulate stress-induced apoptosis.