PROGRAMMED CELL DEATH . ACTIVATION OF LYSIS BY A MECHANISM INVOLVING SYNTHESIS OF PROTEIN

The death of the intersegmental muscle of saturniid silkmoths is controlled by a complex series of events involving the endocrine and neural system. The signal to initiate lysis is produced anterior to the abdomen. The actual initiation of the lytic phase can be blocked by puromycin, actinomycin D, or cycloheximide at levels consonant with their ability to inhibit synthesis of proteins and RNA. The action of the antibiotics is manifested in an isolated denervated abdomen. The activity of the lytic enzymes already present in the muscle is not significantly inhibited by either puromycin or actinomycin D. The data suggest that the lysosomes present in the muscle are activated by a process involving the synthesis of RNA and protein. © 1969.