Flies defy cell death with "Sayonara" gene.
Researchers at RIKEN have discovered a BH3-only protein in fruit flies that triggers programmed cell death or apoptosis, challenging previous assumptions and suggesting that fruit flies share a similar apoptosis mechanism with humans and nematodes. The protein detects stress in cells and sets them on a pathway to self-destruction when they are overly stressed. The finding implies that fruit flies, and probably other insects, aren’t so different when it comes to apoptosis.