Elsevier

Developmental Biology

Volume 201, Issue 2, 15 September 1998, Pages 202-216
Developmental Biology

Regular Article
Dredd,a Novel Effector of the Apoptosis ActivatorsReaper, Grim,andHidinDrosophila

https://doi.org/10.1006/dbio.1998.9000Get rights and content
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Abstract

Caspases are widely conserved proteases considered to be essential effectors of apoptosis. We identified a novelDrosophilagene,dredd,which shares extensive homology to all members of the caspase gene family. Cells specified for programmed death in development exhibit a striking accumulation ofdreddRNA that requires signaling by the death activators REAPER, GRIM, and HID. Furthermore, directed misexpression of each activator was sufficient to drive ectopic accumulation ofdreddRNA. Heterozygosity at thedreddlocus suppressed apoptosis in transgenic models ofreaper- andgrim-induced cell killing, demonstrating that levels ofdreddproduct can modulate signaling triggered by these death activators. Finally, expression of REAPER, GRIM, and HID was found to trigger processing of DREDD protein precursor through a mechanism that is insensitive to, and upstream of, known caspase inhibitors. Taken together, these observations establish mechanistic connections between activators of apoptosis and a new downstream death effector inDrosophila.

Keywords

apoptosis
programmed cell death
caspase
Drosophila

Cited by (0)

M. Sluyser

1

These authors contributed equally to this work.

2

To whom correspondence should be addressed.