Which evolved first: classical apoptosis or necrosis (injury apoptosis) - (Oct/11/2009 )

I have to write a very short paper on the topic before Tuesday but I can't seem to find papers on the subject.

-If you have any links or papers I would be very grateful
- i don't really have a position but I have an idea of what I could argue. To me it makes sense that necrotic injury developed first, just as result of coming in contact with injury. And because of it's consequences e.t.c organism evolved a better system of apoptosis.

At the same time, most cells try to go for apoptosis and if there's not enough energy they go the necrosis way so necrosis could have evolved as a backbone, a safety net for apoptosis- just in case. I understand my thoughts may just be circular reasoning.

PLEASE offer your insights.
Thank you

Probably too late for your paper, but...

There is a world of difference between apoptosis and necrosis. I don't think anyone would suggest one evolved from the other, so the question is probably a trick. Apoptosis is seen in developmental biology (e.g., the removal of the webbing between your fingers and toes), while necrosis is a response to disease etc.

look at the roles for each process, and see where that leads you

Agreed, this is most likely more of a trick question to get you thinking. Apoptosis definitely evolved but necrosis is just the event of cell lysis which would have been around since the first cell.
I would say necrosis didn't "develop", it existed due to mortality of cells. Apoptosis developed as a way to sculpt particular morphologies and to contain infections. However, they may also be interested in talking about ways in which cells react to necrosis and try to resist it - this was obviously a development.

good luck

Stephan on Oct 19 2009, 07:54 AM said:

Well,I am super late to this discussion, but even so I will leave my contribution.

I agree with stephan when he says that necrosis is an inherent process of cell function, as for apoptosis, it evolved as a biproduct of cell defense against mitochondria.
The hypothesis for this stems in the endosymbiotic theory (you probably remember it from bio classes, an ancient cell engulphed an ancient mitochondria and tadaaaaa plastids were born), so the ancient mitochondria tried to fight the cell producing ROS, and the ancient cell tried to fight the ancient mitochondria producing antioxidant enzymes. This eventually evolved to the apoptotic fenomenas that you see today, but till today cells have not figured away to quite the mitochondria, instead they just shush it, the ROS damage acumulates over time leading to several known cellular damages, has for instance DNA mutations.

I worked many years in apoptosis, and untill today I think that it is an awesome story