Characterisation of cDNAs of key genes involved in apoptosis in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

Apoptosis is a morphologically and biochemically distinct form of eukaryotic cell death that occurs under a variety of physiological and pathological conditions. Many of the cell deaths that occur during normal embryological development and during normal tissue turnover display the morphological hallmarks of apoptosis. In the last 20 or so years a better biochemical picture of how the process occurs has been produced, at least in higher vertebrates. It is now widely accepted that many of the proteolytic cleavages occurring during apoptosis are mediated by caspases, the activation of which, in turn, has been found to be tightly regulated. The current study focuses on the sequencing and analysis of key genes involved in the apoptotic process, based on sequence similarity to known apoptosis genes from genetic models such as zebrafish (Danio rerio) and other vertebrates. The present study identifies key components of the apoptotic process in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.), which in turn can be used, for example, to monitor the fate of the cellular components of the immune system after an immune challenge.