Türk Bilimsel Derlemeler Dergisi

Yazarlar: Filiz VARDAR, Meral ÜNAL

Konular:-

Anahtar Kelimeler:Apoptosis,Proteases,Caspase,Caspase-like activity.

Özet: Programmed cell death (PCD) is required for the development and morphogenesis of almost all multicellulareukaryotic organisms. In cell death mechanisms proteolytic enzymes have very diverse roles. The recent fi ndingspoint to the existence of different plant caspase-like proteolytic activities involved in cell death. Cysteineproteases, specifi cally caspases, have emerged as key enzymes in the regulation of animal PCD. Although plantsdo not have true caspase homologues, several instances of caspase-like proteolytic activity with aspartate-specifi ccleavage have been demonstrated in connection with PCD in plants. Because of the caspase-like activity in plants,the researcher’s main goal is to determine which molecular components may be used in the execution of PCD inplants that have been conserved during evolution. In the present review, examples of serine, cysteine, aspartic,metallo- and threonine proteinases are explained which provide background information about their roles asregulators of animal PCD, and linked to plant PCD in developing fl owers, senescing organs, differentiatingtracheary elements and in response to stress.

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