DE-71-induced apoptosis involving intracellular calcium and the Bax-mitochondria-caspase protease pathway in human neuroblastoma cells In vitro

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are used extensively as flame-retardants and are ubiquitous in the environment and in wildlife and human tissue. Recent studies have shown that PBDEs induce neurotoxic effects in vivo and apoptosis in vitro. However, the signaling mechanisms responsible for these events are still unclear. In this study, we investigated the action of a commercial mixture of PBDEs (pentabrominated diphenyl ether, DE-71) on a human neuroblastoma cell line, SK-N-SH. A cell viability test showed a dose-dependent increase in lactate dehydrogenase leakage and 3-(4,5-dimethylthia-zol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide reduction. Cell apoptosis was observed through morphological examination, and DNA degradation in the cell cycle and cell apoptosis were demonstrated using flow cytometry and DNA laddering. The formation of reactive oxygen species was not observed, but DE-71 was found to significantly induce caspase-3, -8, and -9 activity, which suggests that apoptosis is not induced by oxidative stress but via a caspase-dependent pathway. We further investigated the intracellular calcium ([Ca2+](i)) levels using flow cytometry and observed an increase in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration with a time-dependent trend. We also found that the N-methyl d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK801 (3 mu M) significantly reduced DE-71-induced cell apoptosis. The results of a Western blotting test demonstrated that DE-71 treatment increases the level of Bax translocation to the mitochondria in a dose-dependent fashion and stimulates the release of cytochrome c (Cyt c) from the mitochondria into the cytoplasm. Overall, our results indicate that DE-71 induces the apoptosis of ([Ca2+](i)) in SK-N-SH cells via Bax insertion, Cyt c release in the mitochondria, and the caspase activation pathway.

爪哇伪枝藻胞外多糖诱导皮肤癌细胞(A431)凋亡的研究

为探讨爪哇伪枝藻胞外多糖(Extracellular polymeric substances ofScytonema javanicum,EPS)诱导人表皮癌A431细胞凋亡及其对凋亡相关基因caspase-3、bcl-2和bax表达的影响,本实验利用MTT法检测细胞生长抑制情况;HE染色法及透射电镜进行形态学观察;单细胞凝胶电泳法(SCGE/彗星电泳)分析DNA受损情况;免疫组织化学法检测细胞内caspase-3、bcl-2和bax表达水平。结果显示EPS能显著抑制A431细胞增殖,并呈时间和剂量依赖

Hexabromocyclododecane-induced developmental toxicity and apoptosis in zebrafish embryos

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is widely used as a brominated flame retardant, and has been detected in the aquatic environment, wild animals, and humans. However, details of the environmental health risk of HBCD are not well known. In this study, zebrafish embryos were used to assess the developmental toxicity of the chemical. Four-hour post-fertilization (hpf) zebrafish embryos were exposed to various concentrations of HBCD (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mg L-1) until 96 h. Exposure to 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mg L-1 HBCD significantly increased the malformation rate and reduced survival in the 0.5 and 1.0 mg L-1 HBCD exposure groups. Acridine orange (AO) staining showed that HBCD exposure resulted in cell apoptosis. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) was significantly induced at exposures of 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mg L-1 HBCD. To test the apoptotic pathway, several genes related to cell apoptosis, such as p53, Puma, Apaf-1, caspase-9, and caspase-3, were examined using real-time PCR. The expression patterns of these genes were up-regulated to some extent. Two anti-apoptotic genes, Mdm2 (antagonist of p53) and Bcl-2 (inhibitor of Bax), were down-regulated, and the activity of capspase-9 and caspase-3 was significantly increased. The overall results demonstrate that waterborne HBCD is able to produce oxidative stress and induce apoptosis through the involvement of caspases in zebrafish embryos. The results also indicate that zebrafish embryos can serve as a reliable model for the developmental toxicity of HBCD. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Involvement of Fas/FasL system in apoptotic signaling in testicular germ cells of male Wistar rats injected i.v. with microcystins

Previous studies have shown that gonads were the second target organ of microcystins (MCs), and that MCs exposure exerted obvious toxic effects on male reproductive system of mammals. However, relevant molecular evidences are still lacking. Fas-signaling pathway plays a key role in toxicant-induced germ cell apoptosis. This study was to evaluate the responses of Fas/FasL system related genes and proteins in testes of rats injected intravenously with MCs. Enhanced apoptosis of germ cells in the testes of MCs-treated rats was detected by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxy-UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) associated with up-regulation of the Fas/FasL system. Both Fas and FasL protein expression were induced evidently from I h post-injection, and this high expression level maintained throughout the experiment. In addition, the activation of caspase-8 and caspase-3 protein was also observed, which were indicators of apoptosis. These results suggested the likely involvement of Fas/FasL system in the MCs-induced germ cell apoptosis. It is also suggested that MCs can cause damage to Sertoli cells directly. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Origin and evolution of the RIG-I like RNA helicase gene family

Background: The DExD/H domain containing RNA helicases such as retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) and melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) are key cytosolic pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) for detecting nucleotide pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) of invading viruses. The RIG-I and MDA5 proteins differentially recognise conserved PAMPs in double stranded or single stranded viral RNA molecules, leading to activation of the interferon system in vertebrates. They share three core protein domains including a RNA helicase domain near the C terminus (HELICc), one or more caspase activation and recruitment domains (CARDs) and an ATP dependent DExD/H domain. The RIG-I/MDA5 directed interferon response is negatively regulated by laboratory of genetics and physiology 2 (LGP2) and is believed to be controlled by the mitochondria antiviral signalling protein (MAVS), a CARD containing protein associated with mitochondria. Results: The DExD/H containing RNA helicases including RIG-I, MDA5 and LGP2 were analysed in silico in a wide spectrum of invertebrate and vertebrate genomes. The gene synteny of MDA5 and LGP2 is well conserved among vertebrates whilst conservation of the gene synteny of RIG-I is less apparent. Invertebrate homologues had a closer phylogenetic relationship with the vertebrate RIG-Is than the MDA5/LGP2 molecules, suggesting the RIG-I homologues may have emerged earlier in evolution, possibly prior to the appearance of vertebrates. Our data suggest that the RIG-I like helicases possibly originated from three distinct genes coding for the core domains including the HELICc, CARD and ATP dependent DExD/H domains through gene fusion and gene/domain duplication. Furthermore, presence of domains similar to a prokaryotic DNA restriction enzyme III domain (Res III), and a zinc finger domain of transcription factor (TF) IIS have been detected by bioinformatic analysis. Conclusion: The RIG-I/MDA5 viral surveillance system is conserved in vertebrates. The RIG-I like helicase family appears to have evolved from a common ancestor that originated from genes encoding different core functional domains. Diversification of core functional domains might be fundamental to their functional divergence in terms of recognition of different viral PAMPs.

C1q-like inhibits p53-mediated apoptosis and controls normal hernatopoiesis during zebrafish embryogenesis

Except for the complement C1q, the immunological functions of other C1q family members have remained unclear. Here we describe zebrafish C1q-like, whose transcription and translation display a uniform distribution in early embryos, and are restricted to mid-hind brain and eye in later embryos. In vitro studies showed that C1q-like could inhibit the apoptosis induced by ActD and CHX in EPC cells, through repressing caspase 3/9 activities. Moreover, its physiological roles were studied by morpholino-mediated knockdown in zebrafish embryogenesis. In comparison with control embryos, the C1q-like knockdown embryos display obvious defects in the head and cramofacial development mediated through p53-induced apoptosis, which was confirmed by the in vitro transcribed C1q-like mRNA or p53 MO co-injection. TUNEL assays revealed extensive cell death, and caspase 3/9 activity measurement also revealed about two folds increase in C1q-like morphant embryos, which was inhibited by p53 MO co-injection. Real-time quantitative PCR showed the up-regulation expression of several apoptosis regulators such as p53, mdm2, p21, Box and caspase 3, and down-regulation expression of hbae1 in the C1q-like morphant embryos. Knockdown of C1q-like in zebrafish embryos decreased hemoglobin production and impaired the organization of mesencephalic vein and other brain blood vessels. Interestingly, exposure of zebrafish embryos to UV resulted in an increase in mRNA expression of C1q-like, whereas over-expression of C1q-like was not enough resist to the damage. Furthermore, C1q-like transcription was up-regulated in response to pathogen Aeromonas hydrophila, and embryo survival significantly decreased in the C1q-like morphants after exposure to the bacteria. The data suggested that C1q-like might play an antiapoptotic and protective role in inhibiting p53-dependent and caspase 3/9-mediated apoptosis during embryogenesis, especially in the brain development, and C1q-like should be a novel regulator of cell survival during zebrafish embryogenesis. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis induced by Rana grylio virus infection in fish cells

A fish cell line, fathead minnow (FHM) cell, was used to investigate the alteration of mitochondrial dynamics and the mechanism of apoptosis under Rana grylio virus (RGV) infection. Microscopy observations, flow-cytometry analysis and molecular marker detection revealed the apoptotic fate of the RGV-infected cells. Some typical apoptotic characteristics, such as chromatin condensation, DNA fragmentation and mitochondrial fragmentation, were observed, and significantly morphological changes of mitochondria, including size, shape, internal structure and distribution, were revealed. The mitochondria in RGV-infected cells were aggregated around the viromatrix, and the aggregation could be blocked by colchicine. Moreover, the Delta psi m collapse was induced, and caspase-9 and caspase-3 were activated in the RGV-infected cells. In addition, NF-kappa B activation and intracellular Ca2+ increase were also detected at different times after infection. The data revealed the detailed dynamics of mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis induced by an iridovirus, and provided the first report on mitochondrial fragmentation during virus-induced apoptosis in fish cells.

Induction of oxidative stress and apoptosis by PFOS and PFOA in primary cultured hepatocytes of freshwater tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Perfluorinated organic compounds (PFOCs) are emerging persistent organic pollutants (POPs) widely present in the environment, wildlife and human. We studied the cellular toxicology of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) on oxidative stress and induction of apoptosis in primary cultured hepatocytes of freshwater tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Cultured hepatocytes were exposed to PFOS or PFOA (0, 1, 5, 15 and 30 mg L-1) for 24 h, and a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability was determined using trypan blue exclusion method. Significant induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) accompanied by increases in activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione reductase (GR) were found, while activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) were decreased. Glutathione (GSH) content was reduced following treatment of PFOA and PFOS. A dose-dependent increase in the lipid peroxidation (LPO) level (measured as maleic dialdehyde, MDA) was observed only in the PFOA exposure groups, whereas LPO remained unchanged in the PFOS exposure groups. Furthermore, a significant activation of caspase-3, -8, -9 activities was evident in both PFOS and PFOA exposure groups. Typical DNA fragmentation (DNA laddering) was further characterized by agarose gel electrophoresis. The overall results demonstrated that PFOS and PFOA are able to produce oxidative stress and induce apoptosis with involvement of caspases in primary cultured tilapia hepatocytes. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The recombinant beta subunit of C-phycocyanin inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis

C-Phycocyanin (C-PC) from blue-green algae has been reported to have various pharmacological characteristics, including antiinflammatory and anti-tumor activities. In this study, we expressed the beta-subunit of C-PC (ref to as C-POP) in Escherichia coli. We found that the recombinant C-PC/beta has anti-cancer properties. Under the treatment of 5 mu M of the recombinant C-PC/beta, four different cancer cell lines accrued high proliferation inhibition and apoptotic induction. Substantially, a lower response occurred in non-cancer cells. We investigated the mechanism by which C-PC/beta inhibits cancer cell proliferation and induces apoptosis. We found that the C-PC/beta interacts with membrane-associated beta-tubulin and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). Under the treatment of the C-PC/beta, depolymerization of microtubules and actin-filaments were observed. The cells underwent apoptosis with an increase in caspase-3, and caspase-8 activities. The cell cycle was arrested at the G0/G1 phase under the treatment of C-PC/beta. In addition, the nuclear level of GAPDH decreased significantly. Decrease in the nuclear level of GAPDH prevents the cell cycle from entering into the S phase. Inhibition of cancer cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis may potentate the C-POP as a promising cancer prevention or therapy agent. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

肿瘤耐药与心肌肥厚两种生物医学体系的比较蛋白质组学研究

随着人类基因组计划的完成，蛋白质组学研究已成为生命科学乃至自然科学中最活跃的学科领域之一。蛋白质组学将对我们理解后基因组学时代的基因功能有极大的帮助。差异表达蛋白质组学通过对不同样品蛋白质表达水平的比较，已经被广泛地应用在疾病的研究领域。P糖蛋白已经被证实参与介导了在急性粒白血病中发生的多药耐药，然而越来越多的研究结果表明，在急性粒白血病中多药耐药的机制是多因素的。为了寻找白血病肿瘤细胞中与耐药相关的靶蛋白，我们采用蛋白质组学研究技术，对多药耐药细胞系K562／A02的蛋白质表达谱进行了分析。 本研究采用蛋白质组学研究技术，对多药耐药细胞系K562／A02和药物敏感细胞系K562／S的总蛋白质进行双向凝胶电泳（2 DE）的差异分析，结果发现在K562／A02细胞中有41个蛋白质点差异显著，并用基质辅助激光解离飞行时间质谱（MALDI-MS）成功鉴定了大多数的蛋自点。在被鉴定出的差异蛋白质中，有一些是首次发现与耐药相关，包括chloride intracellular charmel，chaperonin，proteindisulfide-isomerase ER6o precursor and constitutive heat shock protein 70等。所得结果不但能够使我们更加深入的理解肿瘤耐药的病理机制，更重要的是通过找到肿瘤细胞发生耐药的标志性蛋白，可以为开发肿瘤耐药预测方法和寻找抗耐药肿瘤靶标新药的线索，同时也为计算机虚拟筛选设计抗耐药肿瘤新药奠定基础。除了详细的研究了K562／A02细胞系差异蛋白质组，我们还采用蛋白质组学的方法，以乳鼠心肌细胞为实验模型，研究在ARs激动的不同清况下心肌细胞蛋白质表达谱的变化。心肌肥厚是心脏工作超负荷的一种代偿反应。目前，越来越多的证据表明ARs在心肌肥厚的发生中起着非常重要的作用，但人们对其机制了解尚不全面。通过检测心肌肥厚时全蛋白表达的变化，将有助于我们全面、深入了解ARs在心肌肥厚中的作用机制。通过严格的2D胶图象分析，蛋白取点后胶内水解，高灵敏度的质谱鉴定及数据库检索，我们成功地进行了乳鼠心肌细胞肥厚为模型的蛋白质组学的研究。本实验通过比较研究不同肾上腺素受体激动剂norePinephrine伽E），phenylephxine（PE）and isoprenaline（ISO）诱导组与未诱导对照组的蛋白质组学变化，分析确定蛋白丰度差异在2倍以上的蛋白质点，并通过MALDI-MS进行蛋白鉴定。20个具有显著差异的蛋白质被鉴定，包括caspase-11，vimeniin，4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid dioxygenase，Modl protein，Txndcs protein等，其中一些蛋白在此之前并没发现与心肌肥厚相关，对它们在心肌肥厚中的意义和机制我们将做进一步的探讨。本研究结果将为我们更好理解肾上腺素受体之间以及肾上腺素受体与心肌肥厚之间的关系提供有益的线索，并将为最终发现可应用于临床的新的诊断和治疗心血管疾病的标志性蛋白打下基础。

天花粉蛋白诱导HIV-1 慢性感染细胞凋亡及机制研究

天花粉蛋白（Trichosanthin,TCS）是一种由247 个氨基酸组成的Ⅰ型核糖 体失活蛋白（Ribosome Inactivating Protein，RIP），从葫芦科植物栝楼 (Trichosanthes Kirilowii)球根中提纯获得。它具有广谱的生物学和药学活性， 包括抗肿瘤、免疫抑制、中期引产以及抗病毒活性。上世纪八十年代末， McGrath 等发现TCS 可以抑制HIV-1 在急性感染的T 淋巴细胞和慢性感染的 巨噬细胞中的复制，从而引起了研究者们极大的兴趣。但迄今为止，其抗HIV-1 的作用机制仍不清楚。 我们实验室对TCS 的免疫毒理作用和抗HIV-1 作用进行了多年的研究， 前期工作显示TCS 对HIV-1 的直接作用并不明显，但对于HIV-1 感染细胞却 具有很强的毒性作用。提示TCS 可能通过作用于宿主细胞来发挥其抗HIV-1 活性。在此基础上，我们从细胞方面着手，对TCS 选择性杀伤HIV-1 感染细 胞的作用及机制进行了探讨。首先，通过MTT 法检测发现，相同条件下，TCS 对于H9/HIV-1IIIB 细胞的毒性远远大于其对正常H9 细胞的毒性。其次，流式 细胞仪检测亚二倍体小峰和琼脂糖凝胶电泳检测片断化DNA 的实验证实了 TCS 对H9/HIV-1IIIB 的细胞杀伤作用是通过诱导细胞凋亡实现的。流式细胞仪 的结果显示TCS 以剂量依赖的方式诱导较多的H9/HIV-1IIIB 细胞凋亡，25μ g/mlTCS 作用24h 时，有8.4%的H9 细胞凋亡，而H9/HIV-1IIIB 细胞的凋亡率 则达到24.5%；随着作用浓度的降低，这种差异也在缩小。阳性对照D-Sorbitol 对两种细胞的凋亡率没有明显差别，约为25%。琼脂糖凝胶电泳的结果进一 步证实了这种推测，相同条件下，TCS 诱导H9/HIV-1IIIB 细胞出现更多的DNA 片断化。 TCS 可以选择性的诱导H9/HIV-1IIIB 细胞凋亡，为了进行更深入的机制研 究，我们建立了另外一株HIV-1 慢性感染细胞系，HIV-1 慢性感染的Jurkat 细胞系（Jurkat/HIV-1ⅢB）来验证TCS的作用。发现相同条件下，TCS可以诱 导同等程度的Jurkat/HIV-1ⅢB和Jurkat 细胞凋亡，25μg/mlTCS作用24h 时， 分别有21.08%的Jurkat 细胞和27.27%的Jurkat/HIV-1IIIB 细胞凋亡。以上的结 果说明HIV-1 感染H9 细胞后增强了感染细胞对TCS 的敏感性，而HIV-1 感 染Jurkat 细胞后并不影响其对TCS 的敏感性。根据细胞凋亡途径中是否依赖 线粒体的参与可以将细胞分成TypeⅠ和TypeⅡ两种类型，H9 细胞采取的是 线粒体非依赖性的TypeⅠ型凋亡途径，而Jurkat 细胞则采取线粒体依赖性的 TypeⅡ型凋亡途径。由于Jurkat 细胞对TCS 诱导的凋亡更加敏感，我们推测 HIV-1 感染H9 细胞后，诱导了细胞凋亡途径由TypeⅠ向TypeⅡ型转变。为 此，我们采用流式细胞仪检测了TCS 对凋亡细胞内的线粒体膜电位及 caspase-8 蛋白酶活性的影响，结果显示，H9/HIV-1IIIB、Jurkat 和Jurkat/HIV-1IIIB 细胞对TCS 诱导的凋亡具有相同程度的敏感性，并且伴随着细胞线粒体膜电 位的耗散和caspase-8 蛋白酶的活化；而相同情况下，TCS 对H9 细胞的影响 则很微弱。由此，进一步证实了我们的推测，即HIV-1 感染H9 细胞后，通过 改变细胞内的某些信号，使H9/HIV-1ⅢB细胞的性状更加倾向于Type Ⅱ型细 胞，从而增强其对于TCS 的敏感性.

Survivin表达在高LET射线诱导细胞凋亡中作用机理的初步研究；A Preliminary Study on Action Mechanisms of Survivin Expression in Cell Apoptosis Induced by High-LET Radiation

先前的研究表明,肿瘤细胞中survivin的高表达与细胞对高传能线密度(LET)射线的辐射抗性相关。研究了survivin表达在高LET射线诱导的细胞凋亡中的作用,发现抑制survivin表达对高LETC离子辐射诱导的Bcl-2和Bax表达没有明显的影响。在高LET射线辐照中,survivin可能通过抑制caspase-3和-9活性的途径,抑制了细胞凋亡。

survivin表达对重离子诱导人肝癌HepG2细胞生物学效应的影响

放射治疗是肿瘤三大治疗手段之一（手术治疗、放疗、化疗），如何提高肿瘤细胞的放射敏感性一直是科研人员关注的研究方向。电离辐射导致细胞死亡的主要方式是细胞凋亡，然而肿瘤细胞内往往细胞凋亡信号通路异常，降低了治疗效果。其中细胞内高水平表达的细胞凋亡抑制蛋白（Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein，IAP）抑制了caspase分子的活性，而caspase分子正是细胞凋亡的执行分子。因此科学家们通过各种手段尤其是RNA干涉的方法以抑制肿瘤细胞内细胞凋亡抑制蛋白的表达及蛋白活性来达到提高肿瘤治疗效果的目的。 Survivin是凋亡抑制蛋白家族的一员，该蛋白在大多数恶性肿瘤中高表达，而在正常组织中检测不到，因此具有组织特异性。Survivin参与肿瘤细胞分化并抑制肿瘤细胞凋亡，它的高表达被证明与很多恶性肿瘤对放射治疗中产生的辐射抗性相关。本文主要研究了不同LET射线辐照下人肝癌HepG2细胞 survivin的表达及其表达对重离子诱导的生物学效应的影响。首先，我们使用不同LET的碳离子束和X射线辐照HepG2细胞，采用标准克隆形成法确定其辐射敏感性，利用流式细胞技术（FCM）检测辐射后细胞周期分布，RT-PCR和western blotting检测survivin的表达。结果显示，人肝HepG2癌细胞经不同LET射线照射，survivin表达是不同的。与低LET的X射线相比，高LET碳离子诱导的细胞损伤和周期阻滞更明显，从而诱导了更强烈的survivin表达。 接着，根据Genbank提供的survivin序列，合成特异性survivin-siRNA寡核苷酸，转染HepG2细胞，抑制survivin的表达。我们发现siRNA转染后诱导了细胞G2/M期阻滞，增加了自发性和辐射诱导的细胞凋亡。在碳离子辐照后，siRNA细胞克隆存活率明显下降。这些结果显示survivin表达是细胞产生高LET辐射抗性的关键因素。最后，我们初步探讨了在细胞凋亡过程中，survivin基因的作用机制。发现抑制survivin表达，对离子束辐射诱导的Bcl-2和Bax表达没有明显的影响。Survivin表达直接抑制了caspase-3和-9的活性，从而抑制了细胞凋亡。以上的实验结果表明：不同LET射线辐照细胞后survivin出现差异表达，与X射线相比，高LET重离子诱导的HepG2细胞中survivin表达更明显，以survivin为靶基因的siRNA技术应用于HepG2细胞，可以极大提高该细胞对重离子辐射的敏感性。本论文研究为临床应用重离子束治疗癌症提供了非常有用的基础数据，同时也为重离子束放射治疗联合基因治疗提供了新的思路

Programmed cell death in Laminaria japonica (Phaeophyta) tissues infected with alginic acid decomposing bacterium

TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) is a sensitive and valid method for detecting DNA cleavage in programmed cell death (PCD). Using this method, DNA cleavage was observed in Laminaria japonica sporophytic tissues, which were infected with alginic acid decomposing bacterium. It was found that DNA cleavage occurred 5 min after the infection, the fragments with 3'-OH groups of cleaved nuclear DNA increased with time of infection and spread from the infection site. Although no typical DNA ladder (200 bp/ 180 bp) was detected by routine agarose gel electrophoresis, the cleavage of nuclear DNA fragments of 97 similar to 48.5 kb could be detected by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). By using CaspGLOW(TM) fluorescein active caspase-3 staining method, caspase-3 activity has been detected in response to the infection of alginic acid decomposing bacterium. Our results are similar to the observations in hypersensitive response (HR) of higher plant, suggesting that the rapid cell death of L. japonica infected by alginic acid decomposing bacterium might be involved in PCD, and indicating that the occurrence of PCD is an active defense process against the pathogen's infection.