In this study, we examined the effects of elevated ROS levels generated by oxidative stress, ageing and other apoptotic-inducing treatments on the status of ribosomal RNA in yeast S. cerevisiae and we have shown that mature rRNAs become specifically fragmented as a result of the cell response to these conditions. RNA degradation coincides with fragmentation of chromosomal DNA but occurs considerably earlier and most likely upstream of the activation of major apoptotic regulators, Yca1 and Aif1. The existence of this mechanism underscores the role of gene expression, namely rRNA turnover, in regulating certain pathways of cell death, in this case most likely through destruction of ribosomes and subsequent inhibition of translation in the early stages of apoptosis.