Showing papers on "Apoptosis published in 1993"

p53 is required for radiation-induced apoptosis in mouse thymocytes

Abstract: The p53 tumour suppressor gene is the most widely mutated gene in human tumorigenesis. p53 encodes a transcriptional activator whose targets may include genes that regulate genomic stability, the cellular response to DNA damage, and cell-cycle progression. Introduction of wild-type p53 into cell lines that have lost endogenous p53 function can cause growth arrest or induce a process of cell death known as apoptosis. During normal development, self-reactive thymocytes undergo negative selection by apoptosis, which can also be induced in immature thymocytes by other stimuli, including exposure to glucocorticoids and ionizing radiation. Although normal negative selection involves signalling through the T-cell receptor, the induction of apoptosis by other stimuli is poorly understood. We have investigated the requirement for p53 during apoptosis in mouse thymocytes. We report here that immature thymocytes lacking p53 die normally when exposed to compounds that may mimic T-cell receptor engagement and to glucocorticoids but are resistant to the lethal effects of ionizing radiation. These results demonstrate that p53 is required for radiation-induced cell death in the thymus but is not necessary for all forms of apoptosis.

Thymocyte apoptosis induced by p53-dependent and independent pathways

Abstract: Death by apoptosis is characteristic of cells undergoing deletion during embryonic development, T- and B-cell maturation and endocrine-induced atrophy. Apoptosis can be initiated by various agents and may be a result of expression of the oncosuppressor gene p53 (refs 6-8). Here we study the dependence of apoptosis on p53 expression in cells from the thymus cortex. Short-term thymocyte cultures were prepared from mice constitutively heterozygous or homozygous for a deletion in the p53 gene introduced into the germ line after gene targeting. Wild-type thymocytes readily undergo apoptosis after treatment with ionizing radiation, the glucocorticoid methylprednisolone, or etoposide (an inhibitor of topoisomerase II), or after Ca(2+)-dependent activation by phorbol ester and a calcium ionophore. In contrast, homozygous null p53 thymocytes are resistant to induction of apoptosis by radiation or etoposide, but retain normal sensitivity to glucocorticoid and calcium. The time-dependent apoptosis that occurs in untreated cultures is unaffected by p53 status. Cells heterozygous for p53 deletion are partially resistant to radiation and etoposide. Our results show that p53 exerts a significant and dose-dependent effect in the initiation of apoptosis, but only when it is induced by agents that cause DNA-strand breakage.

Specific Proteolytic Cleavage of Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase: An Early Marker of Chemotherapy-induced Apoptosis

Abstract: Apoptosis is a morphologically and biochemically distinct form of cell death that occurs under a variety of physiological and pathological conditions. In the present study, the proteolytic cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (pADPRp) during the course of chemotherapy-induced apoptosis was examined. Treatment of HL-60 human leukemia cells with the topoisomerase II-directed anticancer agent etoposide resulted in morphological changes characteristic of apoptosis. Endonucleolytic degradation of DNA to generate nucleosomal fragments occurred simultaneously. Western blotting with epitope-specific monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies revealed that these characteristic apoptotic changes were accompanied by early, quantitative cleavage of the M(r) 116,000 pADPRp polypeptide to an M(r) approximately 25,000 fragment containing the amino-terminal DNA-binding domain of pADPRp and an M(r) approximately 85,000 fragment containing the automodification and catalytic domains. Activity blotting revealed that the M(r) approximately 85,000 fragment retained basal pADPRp activity but was not activated by exogenous nicked DNA. Similar cleavage of pADPRp was observed after exposure of HL-60 cells to a variety of chemotherapeutic agents including cis-diaminedichloroplatinum(II), colcemid, 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine, and methotrexate; to gamma-irradiation; or to the protein synthesis inhibitors puromycin or cycloheximide. Similar changes were observed in MDA-MB-468 human breast cancer cells treated with trifluorothymidine or 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine and in gamma-irradiated or glucocorticoid-treated rat thymocytes undergoing apoptosis. Treatment with several compounds (tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone, tosyl-L-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone, N-ethylmaleimide, iodoacetamide) prevented both the proteolytic cleavage of pADPRp and the internucleosomal fragmentation of DNA. The results suggest that proteolytic cleavage of pADPRp, in addition to being an early marker of chemotherapy-induced apoptosis, might reflect more widespread proteolysis that is a critical biochemical event early during the process of physiological cell death.

Lethal effect of the anti-Fas antibody in mice

Abstract: DURING mammalian development, many cells are programmed to die1,2 most mediated by apoptosis3. The Fas antigen4 coded by the structural gene for mouse lymphoproliferation mutation (lpr)5,6, is a cell surface protein belonging to the tumour necrosis factor/nerve growth factor receptor family7,8, and mediates apoptosis7. The Fas antigen messenger RNA is expressed in the thymus, liver, heart, lung and ovary8. We prepared a monoclonal antibody against mouse Fas antigen, which immunoprecipitated the antigen (Mr 45K) and had cytolytic activity against cell lines expressing mouse Fas antigen. We report here that staining of mouse thymocytes with the antibody indicated that thymocytes from the wild-type and lprcg mice expressed the Fas antigen, whereas little expression of the Fas antigen was found in lpr mice. Intraperitoneal administration of the anti-Fas antibody into mice rapidly killed the wild-type mice but neither lpr nor lprcg mice. Biochemical, histological and electron microscope analyses indicated severe damage of the liver by apoptosis. These findings suggest that the Fas antigen is important in programmed cell death in the liver, and may be involved in fulminant hepatitis in some cases.

Programmed cell death induced by ceramide

Abstract: Sphingomyelin hydrolysis and ceramide generation have been implicated in a signal transduction pathway that mediates the effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and other agents on cell growth and differentiation In many leukemic cells, TNF-alpha causes DNA fragmentation, which leads to programmed cell death (apoptosis) C2-ceramide (06 to 5 microM), a synthetic cell-permeable ceramide analog, induced internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, which was inhibited by zinc ion Other amphiphilic lipids failed to induce apoptosis The closely related C2-dihydroceramide was also ineffective, which suggests a critical role for the sphingolipid double bond The effects of C2-ceramide on DNA fragmentation were prevented by the protein kinase C activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, which suggests the existence of two opposing intracellular pathways in the regulation of apoptosis

Bcl-2 inhibition of neural death : decreased generation of reactive oxygen species

Abstract: The proto-oncogene bcl-2 inhibits apoptotic and necrotic neural cell death. Expression of Bcl-2 in the GT1-7 neural cell line prevented death as a result of glutathione depletion. Intracellular reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxides rose rapidly in control cells depleted of glutathione, whereas cells expressing Bcl-2 displayed a blunted increase and complete survival. Modulation of the increase in reactive oxygen species influenced the degree of cell death. Yeast mutants null for superoxide dismutase were partially rescued by expression of Bcl-2. Thus, Bcl-2 prevents cell death by decreasing the net cellular generation of reactive oxygen species.

Apoptotic death in epithelial cells: cleavage of DNA to 300 and/or 50 kb fragments prior to or in the absence of internucleosomal fragmentation.

Abstract: To date, apoptosis has been characterized biochemically by the production of 180-200 bp internucleosomal DNA fragments resulting from the activation of an endonuclease(s). The principal morphological feature of apoptosis is the condensation of chromatin and it has been assumed that this may reflect the oligonucleosomal fragmentation pattern. We have re-examined this dogma by comparing the biochemical and morphological features of cell death in several epithelial cell types (HT-29-I1 colon adenocarcinoma, CC164 mink lung, DU-145 human prostatic carcinoma and MCF-7 human breast adenocarcinoma) and one mesenchymal cell line (H11ras-R3 ras-transformed rat fibroblasts). Cell death was induced either by serum deprivation, TGF-beta 1 or etoposide, or by leaving cells to reach confluence. Cell death was assessed with respect to detachment from monolayers, morphological changes and DNA integrity. The DNA-binding fluorophore Hoechst 33258 revealed chromatin condensation patterns consistent with apoptotic cell death in all cell types except MCF-7 cells. Using field inversion gel electrophoresis in conjunction with conventional 2% agarose gel electrophoresis, cleavage of DNA to 50 kbp fragments was observed in all cases except MCF-7 cells. This preceded the appearance of oligonucleosomal fragments in HT-29-I1, CC164 and H11ras-R3 cells. Although the DNA of DU-145 cells fragmented into 50 kbp units, and although the cells exhibited classical apoptotic morphology, no subsequent internucleosomal cleavage was observed. These results suggest that changes in the integrity of DNA indicative of the release of chromatin loop domains occur before cleavage at internucleosomal sites is initiated and that the latter is not an essential step in the apoptotic process.

The "bystander effect": tumor regression when a fraction of the tumor mass is genetically modified.

Abstract: Tumor cells expressing the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) gene are sensitive to the drug ganciclovir (GCV). We demonstrate here that HSV-TK-positive cells exposed to GCV were lethal to HSV-TK-negative cells as a result of a "bystander effect." HSV-TK-negative cells were killed in vitro when the population of cultured cells contained only 10% HSV-TK-positive cells. The mechanism of this "bystander effect" on HSV-TK-negative cells appeared to be related to the process of apoptotic cell death when HSV-TK-positive cells were exposed to GCV. Flow cytometric and electron microscopic analyses suggested that apoptotic vesicles generated from the dying gene-modified cells were phagocytized by nearby, unmodified tumor cells. Prevention of apoptotic vesicle transfer prevented the bystander effect. The toxic effect of HSV-TK-positive cells on HSV-TK-negative cells was reproduced in an in vivo model. A mixed population of tumor cells consisting of HSV-TK-positive and HSV-TK-negative cells was inoculated s.c. into mice. Regression of the tumor mass occurred when the inoculum consisted of as few as 10% HSV-TK-expressing tumor cells. The bystander effect was also demonstrated in i.p. tumor studies. Initial experiments demonstrated that prolonged survival (> 70 days) occurred when a mixture containing 50% HSV-TK-positive and 50% HSV-TK-negative cells was injected i.p. followed by GCV treatment. Further, survival was prolonged for mice with a preexisting HSV-TK-negative i.p. tumor burden by injecting HSV-TK-positive cells and GCV. These results suggest that genetic modification of tumor cells may be useful for developing cancer therapies.

Apoptosis is induced by beta-amyloid in cultured central nervous system neurons

Abstract: The molecular mechanism responsible for the neurodegeneration in Alzheimer disease is not known; however, accumulating evidence suggests that beta-amyloid peptide (A beta P) contributes to this degeneration. We now report that synthetic A beta Ps trigger the degeneration of cultured neurons through activation of an apoptotic pathway. Neurons treated with A beta Ps exhibit morphological and biochemical characteristics of apoptosis, including membrane blebbing, compaction of nuclear chromatin, and internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. Aurintricarboxylic acid, an inhibitor of nucleases, prevents DNA fragmentation and delays cell death. Our in vitro results suggest that apoptosis may play a role in the neuronal loss associated with Alzheimer disease.

Induction of apoptosis in cerebellar granule neurons by low potassium: inhibition of death by insulin-like growth factor I and cAMP.

Abstract: High levels of extracellular K+ ensure proper development and prolong survival of cerebellar granule neurons in culture. We find that when switched from a culture medium containing high K+ (25 mM) to one containing a low but more physiological K+ concentration (5 mM), differentiated granule neurons degenerate and die. Death induced by low K+ is due to apoptosis (programmed cell death), a form of cell death observed extensively in the developing nervous system and believed to be necessary for proper neurogenesis. The death process is accompanied by cleavage of genomic DNA into internucleosome-sized fragments, a hallmark of apoptosis. Inhibitors of transcription and translation suppress apoptosis induced by low K+, suggesting the necessity for newly synthesized gene products for activation of the process. Death can be prevented by insulin-like growth factor I but not by several other growth/neurotrophic factors. cAMP but not the protein kinase C activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate can also support survival in low K+. In view of the large numbers of granule neurons that can be homogeneously cultured, our results offer the prospect of an excellent model system to study the mechanisms underlying apoptosis in the central nervous system and the suppression of this process by survival factors such as insulin-like growth factor I.

Wild-type p53 mediates apoptosis by E1A, which is inhibited by E1B.

Abstract: Transformation of primary rodent cells by the adenovirus E1A and E1B oncogenes is a two-step process, where E1A-dependent induction of proliferation is coupled to E1B-dependent suppression of programmed cell death (apoptosis). The E1B gene encodes two distinct transforming proteins, the 19K and 55K proteins, both of which independently cooperate with E1A. E1B 19K or 55K protein, or the human Bcl-2 protein, functions to suppress apoptosis and thereby permits transformation with E1A. The E1B 55K protein blocks p53 tumor suppressor protein function, indicating that p53 may mediate apoptosis by E1A. In the mutant conformation, p53 blocked induction of apoptosis by E1A and efficiently cooperated with E1A to transform primary cells. When p53 was returned to the wild-type conformation, E1A+p53 transformants underwent cell death by apoptosis. This induction of apoptosis by conformational shift of p53 from the mutant to the wild-type form was inhibited by expression of the E1B 19K protein. Thus, the p53 protein may function as a tumor suppressor by initiating a cell suicide response to deregulation of growth control by E1A. E1B 19K and 55K proteins provide separate mechanisms that disable the cell suicide pathway of p53.

Nitric oxide-mediated apoptosis in murine peritoneal macrophages.

Abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) synthase, the enzyme responsible for the generation of the cytotoxic compound NO from L-arginine, is induced in macrophages during activation. Previous work demonstrated that the cytotoxicity of NO extends to the macrophages that produce it, because the activity of NO synthase in these cells correlates inversely with their life span in culture. Data presented here demonstrate that the NO-dependent death of murine peritoneal macrophages activated in vitro with IFN-gamma and LPS is mediated through apoptosis. Evidence in this direction was provided by microscopic examination of the cells, which revealed the presence of nuclear and cytoplasmic alterations characteristic of apoptosis, and by the specific pattern of internucleosomal DNA fragmentation detected by electrophoresis. That these alterations resulted from the production of NO was confirmed by the preventive effects of cell activation in L-arginine-restricted medium or in medium containing an inhibitor of NO synthase, NG-monomethy L-arginine, and more directly by the induction of apoptosis by exposure of the cells to authentic NO gas. Additional results demonstrated that glucose starvation, the inhibition of the tricarboxylic acid cycle with fluorocitrate or of glycolysis with iodoacetate, but not the suppression of the electron transport chain with potassium cyanide, also induced macrophage apoptosis. The potential role of metabolic inhibition as a mechanism for NO-mediated apoptosis, as well as the relationship of these findings with events occurring in wounds and other sites of macrophage infiltration are discussed.

Fas involvement in Ca(2+)-independent T cell-mediated cytotoxicity.

Abstract: Mechanisms of T cell-mediated cytotoxicity remain poorly defined at the molecular level. To investigate some of these mechanisms, we used as target cells, on the one hand, thymocytes from lpr and gld mouse mutants, and on the other hand, L1210 cells transfected or not with the apoptosis-inducing Fas molecule. These independent mutant or transfectant-based approaches both led to the conclusion that Fas was involved in the Ca(2+)-independent component of cytotoxicity mediated by at least two sources of T cells, namely nonantigen-specific in vitro activated hybridoma cells, and antigen-specific in vivo raised peritoneal exudate lymphocytes. Thus, in these cases, T cell-mediated cytotoxicity involved transduction via Fas of the target cell death signal.

A new method to detect apoptosis in paraffin sections: in situ end-labeling of fragmented DNA.

Abstract: Apoptosis (programmed cell death) can be difficult to detect in routine histological sections. Since extensive DNA fragmentation is an important characteristic of this process, visualization of DNA breaks could greatly facilitate the identification of apoptotic cells. We describe a new staining method for formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections that involves an in situ end-labeling (ISEL) procedure. After protease treatment to permeate the tissue sections, biotinylated nucleotides are in situ incorporated into DNA breaks by polymerase and subsequently stained with DAB via peroxidase-conjugated avidin. Staining of cells with the morphological characteristics of apoptosis was demonstrated in tissues known to exhibit programmed cell death, i.e., prostate and uterus after castration, tumors, lymph node follicles, and embryos. Apoptotic cells could be discriminated morphologically from areas of labeled necrotic cells, in which DNA degradation also occurs. Because apoptosis is relatively easily recognized in H&E-stained sections of involuting prostates of castrated rats, we used this model system to validate the ISEL method for the quantification of apoptotic cells. A high correlation was found between the fractions of ISEL-labeled cells and the fractions of apoptotic cells that were morphologically determined in adjacent sections. We conclude that ISEL is a useful technique for quantification of apoptosis in paraffin sections, especially for those tissues in which morphological determination is difficult. Furthermore, this new staining method enables the use of automated image cytometry for evaluating apoptosis.

Induction of nuclear accumulation of the tumor-suppressor protein p53 by DNA-damaging agents.

Abstract: Cancer therapy drugs, such as diamminedichloroplatinum (cisplatin), mitomycin C, etoposide and a number of other compounds, as well as energy-rich radiation, are known to act on cellular DNA. These agents are shown to induce nuclear accumulation of the so-called tumor-suppressor protein p53 in fibroblastoid cells, as well as in epithelioid normal and immortalized cells of murine, simian, and human origin. p53 accumulation starts a few hours after treatment and can remain detectable in surviving cells for at least 20 days. Accumulation occurs because of increased p53 protein stability and depends on ongoing translation. It is not the result of enhanced gene expression. A number of cell cycle inhibitors do not affect p53 protein accumulation, suggesting that the process may start from several points in the cell cycle. Since the increase in the nuclear p53 protein levels occurs within a few hours in most of the treated normal diploid cells, it is unlikely that the accumulated p53 protein is derived from a mutated p53 gene. The results obtained are in accordance with the view that the DNA damage-induced p53 accumulation may either inhibit cell growth, allowing DNA repair processes, or, in the case of severe damage, initiate apoptosis.

Induction of Apoptosis by the Low-Affinity NGF Receptor

Abstract: Nerve growth factor (NGF) binding to cellular receptors is required for the survival of some neural cells. In contrast to TrkA, the high-affinity NGF receptor that transduces NGF signals for survival and differentiation, the function of the low-affinity NGF receptor, p75NGFR, remains uncertain. Expression of p75NGFR induced neural cell death constitutively when p75NGFR was unbound; binding by NGF or monoclonal antibody, however, inhibited cell death induced by p75NGFR. Thus, expression of p75NGFR may explain the dependence of some neural cells on NGF for survival. These findings also suggest that p75NGFR has some functional similarities to other members of a superfamily of receptors that include tumor necrosis factor receptors, Fas (Apo-1), and CD40.

Continuous c-fos expression precedes programmed cell death in vivo

Abstract: The development of a multicellular organism involves a delicate balance among the processes of proliferation, differentiation and death. Naturally occurring cell death aids tissue remodelling, eliminates supernumerary cell populations and provides structural elements such as hair and skin. In the nervous system, selective cell death contributes to the formation and organization of the spinal cord and sympathetic ganglia, retina and corpus callosum. But cell death also occurs in several neuropathological conditions, such as amyelotrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. Therefore an elucidation of the mechanisms responsible for cell death is critical for an appreciation of both normal development and neuropathological disorders. Using a fos-lacZ transgenic mouse, we provide evidence showing that the continuous expression of Fos, beginning hours or days before the morphological demise of the cell, appears to be a hallmark of terminal differentiation and a harbinger of death.

Inhibition of apoptosis and prolongation of neutrophil functional longevity by inflammatory mediators.

Abstract: Neutrophil apoptosis leads to macrophage ingestion of intact senescent neutrophils. This may represent a neutrophil removal mechanism that is important both in the control of inflammatory tissue injury and for the normal resolution processes of inflammation. Because apoptosis is likely to be a key control process in cell and tissue homeostasis, a number of inflammatory mediators were tested for their ability to modulate the rate of apoptosis in populations of neutrophils aging in culture. Endotoxic lipopolysaccharide, human recombinant complement factor 5a, and human recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor all markedly inhibited the rate of neutrophil apoptosis in a concentration-dependent fashion, without inducing necrosis (as assessed by trypan blue exclusion). This inhibitory effect on the rate of neutrophil apoptosis was shown by morphological criteria and confirmed by gel electrophoresis of extracted DNA. Inhibition of apoptosis of aging neutrophil populations was associated with prolongation of the functional life span of the population as assessed by the ability of neutrophils to spread on glass surfaces, to polarize in response to deliberate stimulation with N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP), and to release the granule enzyme marker myeloperoxidase on fMLP stimulation. These observations show that inflammatory mediators prolong the functional life span of neutrophils through modulation of apoptosis. Further elucidation of these mechanisms will lead to a better understanding of the processes controlling neutrophil residence and function in inflamed tissues and may provide further insights into the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis, which is of widespread importance in tissue biology.

Evidence supporting a role for programmed cell death in focal cerebral ischemia in rats.

Abstract: Cells die by one of two mechanisms, necrosis or programmed cell death. Necrosis has been implicated in stroke and occurs when the cytoplasmic membrane is compromised. Programmed cell death requires protein synthesis and often involves endonucleolytic cleavage of the cellular DNA. We assessed the potential contribution of programmed cell death to ischemia-induced neuronal death.Cycloheximide (protein synthesis inhibitor; 1 mg/kg per 24 hours) or vehicle (1 mL/kg per 24 hours) was continuously infused into the right cerebral ventricle of spontaneously hypertensive rats. Neocortical focal ischemia was produced by tandem occlusion of the right common carotid artery and the ipsilateral middle cerebral artery. After 24 hours the brain was stained with 2% 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium and the ischemic zone quantitated. Protein synthesis was determined by [3H]methionine incorporation into acid-precipitated protein. DNA integrity was determined in isolated DNA by gel electrophoresis and in whole cells by flow cytomet...

Stabilization of the p53 tumor suppressor is induced by adenovirus 5 E1A and accompanies apoptosis.

Abstract: Oncogenic transformation by human adenoviruses requires early regions 1A and 1B (E1A and E1B) and provides a model of multistep carcinogenesis. This study shows that the metabolic stabilization of p53 observed in adenovirus 5 (Ad5)-transformed cells can occur in untransformed cells expressing E1A alone. Stabilized p53 was localized to the nucleus and was indistinguishable from wild-type p53 with respect to its interactions with hsc70, PAb420, Ad5 p55E1B, and SV40 large T antigen. Moreover, binding of Ad5 p55E1B or SV40 large T antigen had no additional effect on p53 levels or turnover. Higher levels of p53 were also induced in a variety of cell types within 40 hr after transferring E1A genes. E1A also caused cells to lose viability by a process resembling apoptosis. The apoptosis appeared to involve p53, because p53 levels reverted to normal in surviving cells that had lost E1A, and E1B protected cells from the toxic effects of E1A. These results suggest that (1) the involvement of p53 in tumor suppression and/or apoptosis can be regulated at the level of protein turnover, and (2) a major oncogenic role for E1B is to counter cellular responses to E1A (i.e., stabilization of p53 and associated apoptosis) that preclude transformation by E1A alone. This represents the first physiological setting in which high levels of endogenous p53 are induced in response to an oncogenic challenge, with the apparent consequence of suppressing transformation.

Programmed cell death during Drosophila embryogenesis

Abstract: The deliberate and orderly removal of cells by programmed cell death is a common phenomenon during the development of metazoan animals. We have examined the distribution and ultrastructural appearance of cell deaths that occur during embryogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. A large number of cells die during embryonic development in Drosophila. These cells display ultrastructural features that resemble apoptosis observed in vertebrate systems, including nuclear condensation, fragmentation and engulfment by macrophages. Programmed cell deaths can be rapidly and reliably visualized in living wild-type and mutant Drosophila embryos using the vital dyes acridine orange or nile blue. Acridine orange appears to selectively stain apoptotic forms of death in these preparations, since cells undergoing necrotic deaths were not significantly labelled. Likewise, toluidine blue staining of fixed tissues resulted in highly specific labelling of apoptotic cells, indicating that apoptosis leads to specific biochemical changes responsible for the selective affinity to these dyes. Cell death begins at stage 11 (approximately 7 hours) of embryogenesis and thereafter becomes widespread, affecting many different tissues and regions of the embryo. Although the distribution of dying cells changes drastically over time, the overall pattern of cell death is highly reproducible for any given developmental stage. Detailed analysis of cell death in the central nervous system of stage 16 embryos (13-16 hours) revealed asymmetries in the exact number and position of dying cells on either side of the midline, suggesting that the decision to die may not be strictly predetermined at this stage. This work provides the basis for further molecular genetic studies on the control and execution of programmed cell death in Drosophila.