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p53 is among the most commonly mutated genes in human tumors. We recently found that first catalytic step of genetic recombination during meiosis provokes p53 activity (green) seen here in a fly germarium counterstained for nuclei (blue) and HTS protein (red). From Lu et al. (2010) Science. Science 328: 1278-81. PMID: 20522776
Low and high magnification movies of collective cell death in the Drosophila wing epithelium were captured using a nuclear flourescent reporter. Progression of an apoptotic wave moving through the epithelium occurred over a span of minutes. For additional details, see Link, N., Chen, P., Lu, WJ, Pogue, K., Chuong, A., Mata, M., Checketts, J., Abrams, J.M. A Collective Form of Cell Death Requires Homeodomain Interacting Protein Kinase.(2007) J. Cell Biology 178:567-74
Time lapse studies follow apoptotic cell death in cultured Drosophila cells after lethal exposure to UV light. In the control sample, acute apoptosis occurs soon after challenge (~6hr). In samples where elements of the apoptosome are silenced, cell death is prevented. Here, gene silencing was used to eliminate the apical caspase, Dronc.
Click on the image to view the animated apoptosis tutorial by Rebecca Litton.
Apoptotic cell death is visualized in a Drosophila Embryo using Acridine Orange. A single confocal 'slice' is shown below and a z-series 'stack' is shown above.
Cell death defective mutants exhibit global failures in embryonic cell death. Acridine stained apoptotic cells are prevalent in the wild type embryos (wt, top). These are absent in mutants lacking Rpr proteins (IAP antagonists) and severely reduced in animals lacking Dark, a component of the fly apoptosome.