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Sphingolipid long chain base phosphates can regulate apoptotic-like programmed cell death in plants.
Keith P Alden1, Sandrine Dhondt-Cordelier, Kerrie L McDonald
1School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
|June 21, 2011
Summary
Sphingolipids regulate programmed cell death in plants. Sphingosine 1 phosphate (S1P) reduces cell death and promotes survival, suggesting conserved roles in plant and animal cell fate.
Area of Science:
- Plant molecular biology
- Cellular signaling pathways
- Biochemistry of lipids
Background:
- Sphingolipids and their metabolites, like sphingosine 1 phosphate (S1P) and ceramide (Cer), are crucial regulators of apoptosis in animal cells.
- The role of sphingolipids in plant programmed cell death remains less understood.
- Long chain base phosphates (LCB-Ps) are key sphingolipid metabolites involved in cellular regulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of LCB-Ps in regulating apoptotic-like programmed cell death (AL-PCD) in plant cells.
- To utilize commercially available S1P as a tool to probe these regulatory mechanisms.
- To explore the potential conservation of sphingolipid-mediated cell death regulation between plants and animals.
Main Methods:
- Arabidopsis cell cultures were treated with various cell death-inducing agents, including Cer, in the presence of S1P.
- Rates of AL-PCD and cell survival were quantified using vital stains and morphological analysis.
- Internal LCB-P levels were modulated using sphingosine kinase inhibitors.
- The impact of these modulations on cell death rates under heat stress was assessed.
Main Results:
- Sphingosine 1 phosphate (S1P) significantly reduced AL-PCD and enhanced cell survival across diverse stress conditions.
- Inhibitors of sphingosine kinase decreased the temperature threshold for maximal AL-PCD induction.
- Data indicate a functional sphingolipid rheostat controlling cell fate in Arabidopsis.
- These findings suggest a conserved mechanism for sphingolipid regulation of cell death.
Conclusions:
- Sphingolipids play a significant role in controlling programmed cell death in plant cells.
- Sphingosine 1 phosphate acts as a protective agent against various cellular stresses in plants.
- The regulation of cell death by sphingolipids represents a conserved biological process across eukaryotes, linking plant AL-PCD and animal apoptosis.
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