title: Detecting apoptotic cells and monitoring their clearance in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: Apoptosis is a genetically controlled process of cell suicide that plays an important role in animal development and in maintaining homeostasis. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has proven to be an excellent model organism for studying the mechanisms controlling apoptosis and the subsequent clearance of apoptotic cells, aided with cell-biological and genetic tools. In particular, the transparent nature of worm bodies and eggshells makes C. elegans particularly amiable for live cell microscopy. Here we describe a few methods for identifying apoptotic cells in living C. elegans embryos and adults and for monitoring their clearance during embryonic development. These methods are based on Differential Interference Contrast microscopy and on fluorescence microscopy using GFP-based reporters.
authors.affiliation: Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Xiaomeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Xiangwei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008857:Microscopy, Interference / Q000379:methods; D010588:Phagosomes / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C422043:ced-1 protein, C elegans