Apoptosis

Abstract

Detection of apoptotic cell death in cells and tissues has become of crucial importance in many fields of modern Biology, including studies of embryonic development, degenerative diseases, and Cancer Biology. The need for reliable methods to evaluate death of cells, especially in clinical and experimental Oncology, has led to the development of several techniques. Most of these methods take advantage of properties of dying cells that are more or less specific for the apoptotic process. However, considerable debate exists over the interpretation of some of these methods and their usefulness in all settings. There are many ways of detecting apoptosis and the methods used in the laboratories are mainly based on the identification of apoptotic cell populations by epifluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry and DNA laddering assay. Here we discuss some of the practical utility of such techniques according to our experience.