Apoptosis Determinants in Drosophila Melanogaster

Chew, Su Kit

Apoptosis Determinants in Drosophila Melanogaster

dc.contributor.advisor	Abrams, John M.	en
dc.creator	Chew, Su Kit	en
dc.date.accessioned	2010-07-12T18:59:38Z
dc.date.available	2010-07-12T18:59:38Z
dc.date.issued	2007-12-17
dc.description	The file named "chewsu.pdf" is the primary dissertation file. All other files ("*.mov") are supplemental files and may be viewed individually.	en
dc.description.abstract	Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death (PCD) that is governed by a core set of genes conserved across diverse metazoan phyla. Cells dying by apoptosis exhibit a characteristic series of morphological and biochemical changes that is also conserved. This form of PCD plays pivotal roles in homeostatic regulation of cell numbers, developmental sculpting of organs, damage and infection responses; conversely, its disregulation has profound implications in diseases such as cancers, immune disorders infertility and dystrophies. Common parallels in the regulation of the core apoptosis machinery have been elucidated in human and experimental model organisms, though many fundamental questions in our understanding of its regulation remain. A conserved node in the apoptosis pathway is the apoptosome, comprising the apical caspase and its adaptor protein. To understand the functions of this node, I generated a null allele of the apical caspase Dronc in the experimental model organism Drosophila melanogaster. Dronc is required for developmentally regulated apoptosis in multiple tissues during embryogenesis and larval development. Failure of apoptosis correlated with tissue hyperplasia. Notably, the removal of Dronc eliminated the cellular apopototic response to stresses in cells. In some of the stress contexts tested, Dronc depletion partially rescued cell viability to the same levels as pan-caspase inhibition by small peptide inhibitors, suggesting that Dronc functions map specifically to caspase activation and apoptosis. These and similar observations in its adaptor protein Dark point to the apoptosome as a key node for apoptosis in Drosophila. From these observations, I sought to use the induced apoptosis cellular response as a means to identify novel components and regulators in the apoptosis pathway. I optimized a cell culture system for high-throughput cell-based screening using RNA interference (RNAi) mediated gene silencing and a synthetic antagonist of inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs). From a genome-wide Drosophila RNAi library, I identified 42 potential genes required for apoptosis, of which I characterized 13 highly validated targets for their requirements in multiple stress contexts. One of these hits, Tango7, regulates pro-Dronc protein and represents an unprecedented point of apoptosis regulation. Collectively, my studies bolster the model for the crucial requirement of the apoptosome in apoptosis and identify new regulation entry-points into the apoptosis pathway.	en
dc.format.digitalOrigin	born digital	en
dc.format.medium	Electronic	en
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	en
dc.identifier.oclc	421097206
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/2152.5/756
dc.language.iso	en	en
dc.subject	Caspases	en
dc.subject	Apoptosis	en
dc.subject	Drosophila Proteins	en
dc.subject	Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental	en
dc.title	Apoptosis Determinants in Drosophila Melanogaster	en
dc.type	Thesis	en
dc.type.genre	dissertation	en
dc.type.material	Text	en
thesis.date.available	2008-12-17
thesis.degree.department	Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences	en
thesis.degree.discipline	Genetics and Development	en
thesis.degree.grantor	UT Southwestern Medical Center	en
thesis.degree.level	Doctoral	en
thesis.degree.name	Doctor of Philosophy	en