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Cell death is an essential process where the body gets rid of old or damaged cells. Cell proliferation and death need to be balanced, as an imbalance between the two may lead to cancer or autoimmune diseases.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 5, 2026

Use of LysoTracker to Detect Programmed Cell Death in Embryos and Differentiating Embryonic Stem Cells

Use of LysoTracker to Detect Programmed Cell Death in Embryos and Differentiating Embryonic Stem Cells

Published on: October 11, 2012

Apoptosis in development.

P Meier¹, A Finch, G Evan

¹Signal Transduction Laboratory, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London, UK. meierp@icr.ac.uk

|October 26, 2000

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Cell suicide, or apoptosis, is vital for tissue health and repair. This conserved molecular process, studied in nematodes, fruitflies, and mice, is crucial for development and preventing disease when properly regulated.

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Last Updated: May 5, 2026

Use of LysoTracker to Detect Programmed Cell Death in Embryos and Differentiating Embryonic Stem Cells

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Published on: October 11, 2012

Live Imaging of Apoptotic Cell Clearance during Drosophila Embryogenesis

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Strategies for Tracking Anastasis, A Cell Survival Phenomenon that Reverses Apoptosis

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Published on: February 16, 2015

Area of Science:

Cell biology
Developmental biology
Genetics

Background:

Tissue construction, maintenance, and repair necessitate controlled cell death.
Efficient and specific removal of unwanted cells is crucial for organismal integrity.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the fundamental mechanisms of programmed cell death (apoptosis) across different species.
To understand the evolutionary conservation of cell suicide pathways.

Main Methods:

Comparative analysis of cell suicide mechanisms in model organisms: nematode, fruitfly, and mouse.
Examination of the molecular programming underlying apoptosis.

Main Results:

Cell suicide is executed via an evolutionarily conserved molecular program present in all metazoan cells.
This intrinsic program is essential for tissue homeostasis.

Conclusions:

Dysregulation of cell suicide contributes to developmental abnormalities and various diseases.
Understanding these conserved pathways is key to addressing pathologies linked to apoptosis.