Conference Agenda
Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).
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CP18: Cells, Molecules & Genes 3 - 10 min talks Location: Lecture Theatre 1 Session Chair: Shilpa Kapoor, The University of Melbourne Session Chair: Balu Balan, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute | |
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Elucidating the intrinsic apoptosis pathway in nematodes: fundamental and applied implications 1: Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia; 2: Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia; 3: La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia; 4: Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia; 5: School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia; 6: Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia Intrinsic apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death that governs development, tissue homeostasis and stress responses in animals. In nematodes, the pathway was first genetically defined in the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, yet how it has diversified and operates across the phylum, which encompasses parasites of humans and animals spanning clades I–V, remains poorly resolved. Here, we synthesise genomic, structural and functional data to establish a framework for intrinsic apoptosis in nematodes. Although the core CED-9-CED-4-CED-3 module is retained, its developmental deployment and regulatory processes remain largely uncharacterised beyond C. elegans. Unlike the corresponding BCL-2-regulated apoptotic pathway in vertebrates, C. elegans lacks a canonical BAX/BAK-driven mitochondrial permeabilisation system, and whether comparable mitochondrial amplification mechanisms operate in other nematodes remains unclear, particularly in species encoding multiple CED-9/BCL-2-like proteins. This alternative regulatory configuration, coupled with structural divergence of nematode CED-9 and CED-4-like proteins from their vertebrate orthologues, suggests a distinctive evolutionary trajectory for apoptotic regulation in nematodes. By integrating biological with emerging structural insights, we define a foundation for studying apoptosis across clades I–V and assess its potential for anthelmintic target discovery. | |