Programmed cell death (PCD), both in plants and animals, is high regulated process involving gene expression activation and protein translation.
Therefore, this very specialized process demands ATP for signiling and metabolic changes in the cells.
I was looking for this answer in the literature, but none author is taking the energy consumption in to account when talks about PCD.
Please, feel free to discuss.
Apoptosis requires ATP, and ATP is considered a good cellular diagnostic for cell death routine selection. Here are some good references:
Article Intracellular Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) Concentration: A ...
Article Control of apoptosis by cellular ATP level
- https://www.nature.com/articles/4400262
- https://academic.oup.com/cardiovascres/article/59/2/428/290611
- https://www.nature.com/articles/4401661
Hi Dr. Yaron,
Thanks for your answer and references.
Most of works say that ATP function as a signalling molecule, however my question is in the tissue or, even, organism level.
Could be apoptosis an important energy consuming process for the whole organism?
No references here, mate (I'm away from my main computer and personal library), but as I remember apoptosis involves DNA fragmentation and mRNA decay, processes that require ATP produced energy - either for signalling, expelling or reabsortion.
As Bataille would say: "sacrifice demands a commitment that is only possible through power, and power is the capacity of Men to work and act together". Although I'm always suspicious of philosophical-to-scientific comparisons such as this, I would say apoptosis is certainly an important energy consuming process in a general way - it consumes to destroy and consumes to make good use (or expel) the "leftovers" of cell death.
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