Apoptosis in yeast: triggers, pathways, subroutines

15.01.2010

Carmona-Gutierrez D, Eisenberg T, Büttner S, Meisinger C, Kroemer G, Madeo F.

Cell Death Differ 17(5):763-73

Cell Death Differ       online article

A cell's decision to die is controlled by a sophisticated network whose deregulation contributes to the pathogenesis of multiple diseases including neoplastic and neurodegenerative disorders. The finding, more than a decade ago, that baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) can undergo apoptosis uncovered the possibility to investigate this mode of programmed cell death (PCD) in a model organism that combines both technical advantages and a eukaryotic 'cell room.' Since then, numerous triggers have been found to induce yeast apoptosis.