| Author/Editor | Potokar, Maja | |
| Title | Fiziološka in apoptotična porazdelitev kaspaze 9 v sesalskih celicah | |
| Type | monografija | |
| Place | Ljubljana | |
| Publisher | Medicinska fakulteta | |
| Publication year | 2003 | |
| Volume | str. 52 | |
| Language | slo | |
| Abstract | Apoptosis or programmed cell death is a common physiological process of all metazoans, which has a crucial role in development and renewal of tissues. The damaged or excessive cells are removed with high efficiency through apoptosis. There are several apoptotic pathways within the cells. The pathway triggered through mitochondria has a central role in stroke, during the brain injuries due to hypoxy, in neurodegenerative diseases, in tumors and in autoimmune diseases. The initiator protease caspase 9 has a crucial role in triggering this pathway. On the basis of published reports that caspase 9 is a mitochondrial protein, we have proposed two hypotheses: (1) upon induction of apoptotic programme, caspase 9 redistributes from mitochondria to the cytoplasm; (2) the redistribution of caspase 9 is associated with its activation. In our experiments we have followed the time course of the caspase 9 distribution in cells isolated from rat adenohypophysis, mainly somatotrophs. The number of somatotrophs and consequently the amount of growth hormone released is also importantly influenced by apoptosis. We have fluorescently labelled caspase 9 by constructing fusion protein between caspase 9 and green fluorescent protein and followed the distribution of caspase 9 before and after triggering apoptosis. We found out that caspase 9 is a cytoplasmic protein in non-apoptotic somatotrophs and that caspase 9 redistributes to mitochondria after triggering of apoptosis with rotenone (the inhibitor of the complex I of the mitochondrial respiratory chain). So, we could not confirm the hypothesis that caspase 9 redistributes from mitochondria to the cytoplasm, because caspase 9 was cytoplasmic in non-apoptotic cells. We have confirmed the hypothesis that the redistribution of caspase 9 after the apoptosis triggering was associated with its activation. This requires the activity of a caspase other than the caspase 9. (Abstract truncated at 2000 characters). | |
| Descriptors | APOPTOSIS PITUITARY GLAND ROTENONE CYSTEINE PROTEINASES RECOMBINANT FUSION PROTEINS RATS, WISTAR TRANSFECTION ELECTROPHORESIS, AGAR GEL POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY ESCHERICHIA COLI ELECTROPORATION MICROSCOPY, CONFOCAL |