Lessons to learn from the cell death and heat shock genes of Caenorhabditis elegans

The nematode Caenorrhabditis elegans is an applicable experimental system for simulation of complex biochemical processes of mammalian cells and tissues. The genetic pathway of programmed cell death (PCD) has been partially clarified in the nematode. Analysis of cell death genes of C. elegans led to the conclusion that PCD is conserved in the animal kingdom. Our intention is to study the role of tissue transglutaminase and heat shock proteins in the process of PCD. Tissue transglutaminase is often observed to be induced and activated during the molecular mechanism of PCD. The connection between the heat shock proteins and PCD is not well understood, but it is clear that many apoptosis inducers lead to increased synthesis of heat shock proteins and production of heat shock proteins is coupled with the appearance of apoptosis in numerous experimental systems. Our preliminary observations made by studying cell death mutants of C. elegans we suggest that transglutaminase and heat shock proteins are involved in the death program of the nematode.