ROLE OF COHESION IN APOPTOTIC CELL DEATH

该子项目是利用NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的许多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。所列机构为中心，不一定是研究者所在机构。细胞凋亡是细胞死亡的一种活跃形式，在所有后生动物的发育中起着至关重要的作用。最近的研究表明，cohesin，一种调节姐妹染色单体凝聚的蛋白复合物，在细胞凋亡中起着重要作用。抑制粘附素RAD 21降低了细胞增殖的能力并增加了细胞凋亡的水平。RAD 21也被发现在前列腺癌和乳腺癌细胞中过表达。对cohesin在细胞凋亡中作用的了解将有助于我们对肿瘤生物学的认识。我们最近的研究表明，酵母中的cohesin突变导致细胞凋亡。外界刺激，如过氧化氢，导致cohesin从细胞核转移到线粒体，在细胞凋亡中起重要作用。本文拟以芽殖酵母为模型系统，研究黏附素在细胞凋亡中的作用。我们的目标是了解cohesin的功能，因为它与调节细胞凋亡复杂过程的分子机制有关。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Apoptosis is an active form of cell death that plays a crucial role in the development of all metazoans. Recent studies show that cohesin, a protein complex that regulates sister chromatid cohesion, plays an important role in apoptosis. Suppression of cohesin RAD21 reduces the ability for cell proliferation and increases the level of apoptosis. RAD21 is also found to be overexpressed in prostate and breast cancer cells. Understanding of role of cohesin in apoptosis will enhance our knowledge of cancer biology. Our recent studies showed that mutations of cohesin in yeast cause apoptotic cell death. External stimuli, such as hydrogen peroxide, causes cohesin translocated from nucleus to mitochondria, which plays an important role in apoptosis. We propose here to study the function of cohesin in apoptosis using budding yeast as model system. Our goal is to understand the function of cohesin as it relates to the molecular mechanisms that regulate the complex process of apoptosis.