Bacterial toxin RelE induces apoptosis in human cells

TY - JOUR

T1 - Bacterial toxin RelE induces apoptosis in human cells

AU - Yamamoto, TAM

AU - Gerdes, K

AU - Tunnacliffe, A

PY - 2002

Y1 - 2002

N2 - The bacterial protein RelE severely restricts prokaryotic cell growth, probably by acting as a global inhibitor of translation. It is ubiquitous in prokaryotes as part of the RelE-RelB toxin-antitoxin system, and may be activated by nutritional stress. When the relE gene from Escherichia coli was expressed inducibly in a human osteosarcoma cell line, it was shown to retard growth and to lead to cell death by apoptosis. RelE is therefore unusual among bacterial toxins in possessing broad activity against both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, perhaps by acting on evolutionarily conserved components of the translation machinery. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. on behalf of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

AB - The bacterial protein RelE severely restricts prokaryotic cell growth, probably by acting as a global inhibitor of translation. It is ubiquitous in prokaryotes as part of the RelE-RelB toxin-antitoxin system, and may be activated by nutritional stress. When the relE gene from Escherichia coli was expressed inducibly in a human osteosarcoma cell line, it was shown to retard growth and to lead to cell death by apoptosis. RelE is therefore unusual among bacterial toxins in possessing broad activity against both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, perhaps by acting on evolutionarily conserved components of the translation machinery. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. on behalf of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

U2 - 10.1016/S0014-5793(02)02764-3

DO - 10.1016/S0014-5793(02)02764-3

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0014-5793

VL - 519

SP - 191

EP - 194

JO - F E B S Letters

JF - F E B S Letters

IS - 1-3

ER -