Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Active ERK in the C. elegans Germline
08:40

Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Active ERK in the C. elegans Germline

Published on: November 29, 2016

Cell-nonautonomous regulation of C. elegans germ cell death by kri-1

Shu Ito1, Sebastian Greiss, Anton Gartner

  • 1Developmental & Stem Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada.

Current Biology : CB
|February 9, 2010
PubMed

Insights

DNA damage triggers programmed cell death (apoptosis) through cell-nonautonomous signaling. The KRI-1 protein regulates this process, revealing a novel role for non-dying cells in apoptosis.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Genetics
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Programmed cell death (apoptosis) is a vital cellular process implicated in development, cancer, and disease.
  • In C. elegans, DNA damage induces germ cell death via cep-1/p53 and CED-3/caspase.
  • Apoptosis regulation was thought to be primarily cell-autonomous, occurring within the dying cell.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanism of upstream signal activation in DNA damage-induced apoptosis.
  • To determine if apoptosis-activating signals function in a cell-autonomous or cell-nonautonomous manner.
  • To explore the role of KRI-1 in DNA damage response and cell death.

Main Methods:

  • Genetic analysis in C. elegans.
  • Investigating the function of kri-1, an ortholog of human KRIT1/CCM1.
  • Assessing DNA damage-induced germ cell death pathways.

Main Results:

  • KRI-1 is essential for activating DNA damage-dependent cell death, independent of cep-1/p53.
  • KRI-1 functions in a cell-nonautonomous manner to regulate apoptosis.
  • This identifies a novel role for non-dying cells in initiating apoptosis in response to DNA damage.

Conclusions:

  • The KRI-1 protein mediates cell-nonautonomous regulation of DNA damage-induced apoptosis.
  • This finding challenges the paradigm of purely cell-autonomous control of apoptosis.
  • Nondying cells play a crucial role in orchestrating cell death in response to genotoxic stress.

More Related Videos

Computational Analysis of the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline to Study the Distribution of Nuclei, Proteins, and the Cytoskeleton08:01

Computational Analysis of the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline to Study the Distribution of Nuclei, Proteins, and the Cytoskeleton

Published on: April 19, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Overview of Cell Death01:30

Overview of Cell Death

Cell death is an essential process where the body gets rid of old or damaged cells. Cell proliferation and death need to be balanced, as an imbalance between the two may lead to cancer or autoimmune diseases.
Cell death was observed in the early 19th century, but there was no experimental evidence to prove it. In 1842, Carl Vogt first discovered cell death in a metamorphic toad; however, it was not termed ‘cell death.’ Scientists discovered different cell death pathways only in the 20th century...
The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:17

The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

The extrinsic apoptotic pathway is initiated when extracellular death-inducing signals, such as specific cytokines, activate the death receptors expressed on the cell surface. The immune cells involved in this pathway are natural killer cells (NK cells) and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. NK cells are critical in innate immune response, while cytotoxic T-lymphocytes are associated with adaptive immune response. These cells recognize specific receptors expressed on the altered cells and activate...
The Cell Cycle Control System01:28

The Cell Cycle Control System

The cell cycle regulation directs how a cell proceeds from one phase to the next and begins mitosis. The cell cycle control system includes intracellular regulatory molecules and external triggers. They provide "stop" or "advance" signals and operate at specific cell cycle stages termed checkpoints to ensure that a particular process is completed before the cell advances to the next phase.
Cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) are the primary cell cycle regulators and function at the cell...
Autophagic Cell Death01:18

Autophagic Cell Death

Christian de Duve discovered “autophagy,” a process in which cellular components are engulfed by membrane-bound organelles called autophagosomes. The autophagosomes then fuse with lysosomes to digest the enclosed contents. Autophagy is generally activated in cells to prevent cell death. However, cell death is triggered when the damage is beyond repair.
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and pro-apoptotic...
Caspases01:24

Caspases

Caspase, a family of cysteine proteases, serve as effectors in apoptosis. The ced3 gene in C.elegans was first identified to be involved in apoptosis. This gene encodes the ced-3 caspase that is similar to the interleukin-1-beta converting enzyme or ICE in mammals. In addition to apoptosis, caspases also function in the inflammatory response. Inflammatory caspases are essential in activating pro-inflammatory cytokines that recruit immune cells and block the replication of pathogens inside cells.
Negative Regulator Molecules01:23

Negative Regulator Molecules

Positive regulators allow a cell to advance through cell cycle checkpoints. Negative regulators have an equally important role as they terminate a cell’s progression through the cell cycle—or pause it—until the cell meets specific criteria.