信号分子介导藻类细胞程序性死亡的研究进展

藻类是水生态系统中的重要初级生产者, 在物质转换和能量迁移过程中发挥重要作用。细胞程序性死亡(PCD)作为一种细胞自我调控的死亡模式, 受到多种信号分子的控制。研究发现藻类细胞在遭受环境胁迫的情况下, 在形态和生理上均表现出类PCD的特征, 同时伴随着活性氧/一氧化氮/钙离子(ROS/NO/Ca2+)水平的变化。研究认为, ROS/NO/Ca2+作为信号分子介导藻细胞内的caspase-like酶活性变化, 从而触发藻细胞的类程序性死亡。然而, 对信号分子是如何在环境胁迫下的藻类细胞中引发类PCD仍知之甚少。文章综述了信号分子ROS/NO/Ca2+介导藻类类PCD的研究进展以及信号分子间的级联关系, 并对今后类PCD在该领域待开展的研究进行了展望。

RESEARCH ADVANCES OF SIGNALING MOLECULES-MEDIATED ALGAE CELL DEATH SIMILAR TO PROGRAMMED CELL DEATH

Algae are important primary producer in aquatic ecosystems and play an important role in the process of material conversion and energy migration. Programmed cell death (PCD) is a self-regulated cell death mode that is controlled by different signaling pathways. Studies have found that when algae are subjected to environmental stress, the algal cells exhibit PCD characteristics in morphology and physiology, accompanying with the changes of reactive oxygen species/nitric oxide/calcium ions (ROS/NO/Ca2+) levels. The researchers speculated that ROS/NO/Ca2+ maybe be a signaling molecule to mediate the changes of Caspase-like enzyme activity in algae cells and trigger a process similar to programmed cell death. However, little is known about how signaling molecules trigger a process similar to PCD in algae cells under environmental stress. This paper reviews the research progress of signal molecule ROS/NO/Ca2+ mediating the process similar to PCD in algae cells and the cascade effect between signal molecules. Finally, future research in this field similar to PCD is prospected.