Researchers have discovered that a mechanical signal is the source of cell death decisions
The germ cells of many species, including humans, are highly interconnected. They also share their cytoplasm. The gonad of the hermaphrodite Caenorhabditis Elegans contains up to 500 germ-cells that are interconnected. This tissue produces eggs and Sperm. The cells are arranged in a \”corridor\”, which is a central area of cytoplasmic exchange. This promotes cell growth and produces oocytes that can be fertilized.
Researchers have previously found that C.elegans gonads produce more germ cells than necessary and that only 50% of them develop into oocytes. The rest shrink and die through physiological apoptosis. This is a type of programmed cell-death that occurs in multicellular animals. Scientists from the Biotechnology Centre of the TU Dresden and the Max Planck Institute of molecular Cell Biology and Genetics have now found evidence that answers the question of why cells decide to live or die in the germline.
Previous studies have revealed that biochemical and genetic signals drive physiological cell death. However, the mechanisms which select and initiate apoptosis within individual germ cells remain unclear. The size and volume of germ cells grows homogenously as they mature along the gonads of the nematode. The scientists in the Nature Physics study have shown that the homogeneous growth changes suddenly to heterogeneous growth, where some cells grow bigger and others shrink.
Source:
https://phys.org/news/2021-05-mechanical-cue-cell-death-decision.html
