Cytoskeletal induced apoptosis in yeast

The influence of the cytoskeleton reaches into almost every aspect of eukaryotic cell function. It is a little surprise therefore that links between the regulation of the cytoskeleton and apoptosis have been found in a variety of eukaryotic systems. Studies from yeast have made a significant contribution to this new field of research and have highlighted the importance of interactions between the cytoskeleton and mitochondria in determining cell fate. In yeast both the actin and microtubular cytoskeletons have been shown to influence mitochondrial function and the commitment to apoptosis. In this review we discuss the recent advances and speculate that apoptotic mechanisms that feed off the ability of the cytoskeleton to respond to environmental signals may represent a useful mechanism to remove weak or damaged individuals from a population.