Frank Madeo

Tracing the Roots of Death: Apoptosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The modulation of cell death is a complex process. Its deregulation can lead to several types of diseases ranging from cancer to neurodegenerative disorders in humans. The finding that Saccharomyces cerevisiae can also undergo apoptosis has opened doors to investigate programmed cell death in a clear-cut model organism that unifies both technical advantages and a eukaryotic “cell room.” So far, cell death in yeast has been described under multiple conditions, including exposure to different drugs, failure in several cellular processes, or heterologous expression of human proapoptotic genes. Yeast apoptosis has also been shown to occur in physiological scenarios such as aging or failed mating, thus suggesting a teleological explanation for the death of a unicellular organism. Finally, several yeast orthologues of crucial metazoan apoptotic regulators have been identified and characterized, including a caspase and the apoptosis-inducing factor. Uncovering apoptosis in yeast as well as in other fungi and unicellular parasites is of great medical interest. Moreover, it is helping to decipher the molecular mechanisms of cell death in higher organisms.