Single cell RNA-seq of normal enterocytes and erebotic cells from Drosophila melanogaster midgut R4 region

In Drosophila gut enterocytes, we recently identified a novel form of cell death, termed erebosis. Erebosis is a nonapoptotic, nonautophagic, and nonnecrotic process, in which affected cells accumulate Ance (angiotensin-converting enzyme) and lose many other proteins, ultimately leading to the loss of organelles and the nucleus.

The underlying molecular mechanism of erebosis has remained unclear. Here, through single-cell RNA sequencing and genetic approaches, we found that the small metabolite heme regulates erebosis. Cells undergoing erebosis up-regulate the heme-degrading enzyme Heme oxygenase (Ho) and the heme exporter Mrp5, and decrease intracellular amounts of heme.