Histone released on cell death charges DNA damage-induced apoptosis relies on histone H1.2 release
into the cytosol By David Secko
Apoptosis is a highly regulated cell death mechanism employed by organisms to regulate tissue
growth, control developmental processes, and eliminate harmful cells. Mitochondria play a central
role in apoptosis by releasing molecules (such as cytochrome c) that activate the caspase pathways
to lead to cell death. Many proteins have been linked to this mitochondrial release-including p53
and the Bcl-2 family of proteins (e.g., Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, Bax, Bak) that directly modulate outer
mitochondrial membrane permeability-but how nuclear DNA damage is linked to the mitochondria during
apoptosis has been unclear. In the September 19 Cell, Akimitsu Konishi and colleagues at the Osaka
University Medical School report that DNA damage induces the release of histone H1.2, inducing
cytochrome c release and leading to apoptosis (Cell, 114:673-688, September 19, 2003).
Read the rest at The Scientist.com biomedcentral.com02Open ↗
Kind Regards, Robert Karl Stonjek.