Germ cell apoptosis and DNA damage responses

TY - CHAP

T1 - Germ cell apoptosis and DNA damage responses

A1 - Bailly,Aymeric

A1 - Gartner,Anton

AU - Bailly,Aymeric

AU - Gartner,Anton

PB - Springer

CY - New York

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - In the past 12 years, since the first description of C. elegans germ cell apoptosis, this area of research rapidly expanded. It became evident that multiple genetic pathways lead to the apoptotic demise of germ cells. We are only beginning to understand how these pathways that all require the CED-9/Bcl-2, Apaf-1/CED-4 and CED-3 caspase core apoptosis components are regulated. Physiological apoptosis, which likely accounts for the elimination of more than 50% of all germ cells, even in unperturbed conditions, is likely to be required to maintain tissue homeostasis. The best-studied pathways lead to DNA damage-induced germ cell apoptosis in response to a variety of genotoxic stimuli. This apoptosis appears to be regulated similar to DNA damage-induced apoptosis in the mouse germ line and converges on p53 family transcription factors. DNA damage response pathways not only lead to apoptosis induction, but also directly affect DNA repair, and a transient cell cycle arrest of mitotic germ cells. Finally, distinct pathways activate germ cell apoptosis in response to defects in meiotic recombination and meiotic chromosome pairing. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

AB - In the past 12 years, since the first description of C. elegans germ cell apoptosis, this area of research rapidly expanded. It became evident that multiple genetic pathways lead to the apoptotic demise of germ cells. We are only beginning to understand how these pathways that all require the CED-9/Bcl-2, Apaf-1/CED-4 and CED-3 caspase core apoptosis components are regulated. Physiological apoptosis, which likely accounts for the elimination of more than 50% of all germ cells, even in unperturbed conditions, is likely to be required to maintain tissue homeostasis. The best-studied pathways lead to DNA damage-induced germ cell apoptosis in response to a variety of genotoxic stimuli. This apoptosis appears to be regulated similar to DNA damage-induced apoptosis in the mouse germ line and converges on p53 family transcription factors. DNA damage response pathways not only lead to apoptosis induction, but also directly affect DNA repair, and a transient cell cycle arrest of mitotic germ cells. Finally, distinct pathways activate germ cell apoptosis in response to defects in meiotic recombination and meiotic chromosome pairing. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?partnerID=yv4JPVwI&eid=2-s2.0-84867539316&md5=8bae59a1d8cfed2a1bcee4c0386522d9

U2 - 10.1007/978-1-4614-4015-4

DO - 10.1007/978-1-4614-4015-4

M1 - Other chapter contribution

SN - 9781461440147

VL - 757

BT - Germ Cell Development in C. elegans

T2 - Germ Cell Development in C. elegans

A2 - Schedl,Tim

ED - Schedl,Tim

T3 - Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology

T3 - en_GB

SP - 249

EP - 276

ER -