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Caenorhabditis elegans gene ced-9 protects cells from programmed cell death

Nature volume 356, pages 494–499 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

The gene ced-9 of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegansacts to protect cells from programmed cell death. A mutation that abnormally activatesced-9 prevents the cell deaths that occur during normal C. elegans development. Conversely, mutations that inactivate ced-9 cause cells that normally live to undergo programmed cell death; these mutations result in embryonic lethality, indicating that ced-9 function is essential for development. The ced-9 gene functions by negatively regulating the activities of other genes that are required for the process of programmed cell death.

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Author notes

  1. Ronald Ellis

    Present address: Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Wisconsin at Madison, 1525 Linden Drive, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Room 56-629, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA

    Michael O. Hengartner, Ronald Ellis & Robert Horvitz

Authors
  1. Michael O. Hengartner
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  2. Ronald Ellis
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  3. Robert Horvitz
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Hengartner, M., Ellis, R. & Horvitz, R. Caenorhabditis elegans gene ced-9 protects cells from programmed cell death. Nature 356, 494–499 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/356494a0

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