The presence and subcellular localization of caspase 3-like proteinases in plant cells

• Published in: FEBS letters Vol. 475; no. 2; pp. 139 - 144
• Main Authors: Korthout, Henrie A.A.J., Berecki, Géza, Bruin, Wouter, van Duijn, Bert, Wang, Mei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier B.V 16-06-2000
• Subjects: Ac-DEVD-AMC, N-acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin; Ac-YVAD-AMC, N-acetyl-Tyr-Val-Ala-Asp-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin; Animals; Apoptosis; APW, artificial pond water; Caspase 3; Caspases - biosynthesis; Caspases - chemistry; Cell-Free System; Chara; Cytosol - enzymology; d-ft, dextran conjugated fluorescein-tetramethylrhodamine; DAF, days after flowering; Detergents - pharmacology; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; DTT, dithiothreitol; EDTA, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; Enzyme Activation; fmk, fluoromethylketone; Hordeum - enzymology; HR, hypersensitive response; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Micro-injection; Microinjections; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Mitochondrion; Octoxynol - pharmacology; PARP, poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase; PCD, programmed cell death; Plant; Plant Proteins - biosynthesis; Plant Proteins - chemistry; Plants - enzymology; PMSF, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride; Protease Inhibitors - pharmacology; PVP, polyvinylpyrrolidone; Sodium Chloride - pharmacology; Vacuoles - enzymology; Xenopus; PCD, programmed cell death; Ac-DEVD-AMC, N-acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin; EDTA, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; DAF, days after flowering; APW, artificial pond water; fmk, fluoromethylketone; HR, hypersensitive response; Ac-YVAD-AMC, N-acetyl-Tyr-Val-Ala-Asp-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin; Chara; DTT, dithiothreitol; Mitochondrion; PARP, poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase; Plant; PMSF, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride; Micro-injection; Caspase 3; PVP, polyvinylpyrrolidone; d-ft, dextran conjugated fluorescein-tetramethylrhodamine; Apoptosis
• ISSN: 0014-5793; 1873-3468
• DOI: 10.1016/S0014-5793(00)01643-4

Caspases play a very important role in initiating and executing apoptotic processes in animal cells. In this study we show that plant mitochondria were able to initiate the activation of caspase 3 in a
Xenopus cell free system. Caspase 3-like activity was found to be present in plant cells and could only be inhibited by the specific caspase 3 inhibitor
N-acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-fluoromethylketone (Ac-DEVD-fmk) and not by cysteine protease inhibitors. By micro-injection of the caspase 3 substrate in living
Chara cells we showed that caspase 3-like activity was mainly present in the cytosol rather than in the vacuole. This is the first time that in vivo caspase 3-like activity has been demonstrated in plants.