Effects of apoptotic cell clearance pathways on cell corpse clearance, development, and longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, occurs in a specific manner during development. The resulting cell corpses are then recognized and removed by a nearby phagocyte, regulated by three major known pathways in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mutations that inhibit the function of specific proteins in these pathways stop this from occurring efficiently. This study investigated the effects of mutations in these pathways on the development, lifespan, and removal of germline apoptotic cell corpses in a C. elegans model. Two proteins downstream in one of these pathways, the RAB-35 pathway, were also knocked down using RNA interference to study their effects on survival and development of the organisms, and on the removal of germline apoptotic cell corpses. These protein knockdowns provided a method to study the regulation of the CED-10 protein by the RAB-35 protien. The removal of the function of proteins in these pathways showed increased numbers of persisting cell corpses, while also showing slower development and decreased survival than the wildtype strain. The results from this study further the ongoing research into these pathways and their overall effects on the organisms.