Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 27, 2026

Cell Cycle-specific Measurement of γH2AX and Apoptosis After Genotoxic Stress by Flow Cytometry
Published on: September 1, 2019
Cell death forms and HSP70 expression in U87 cells after ionizing radiation and/or chemotherapy
Alessandro Paolini1, Francesca Pasi, Angelica Facoetti
1Department of Animal Biology, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, I-27100 Pavia, Italy.
Background:
Several types of cell death can induce the activation of the immune system by releasing factors of damage.
Aim:
To identify different cell death modalities using U87 glioblastoma cell line after radio-chemotherapy treatments by analyzing the expression of HSP70 after γ-ray irradiation and temozolomide treatment.
Materials And Methods:
U87 cell line was irradiated with 2, 4, 8, 10 and 20 Gy, treated with 200 μM of temozolomide, or subjected to combined treatments of these.
Results:
Forty-eight hours after treatment, apoptosis was more prevalent than necrosis, especially after γ-radiation with a somewhat dose-dependent trend. Temozolomide did not seem to induce significant modifications of the pattern of cell death and protein expression. Temozolomide-induced cell death was lower or equal to that obtained with high dose radiotherapy. A low synergism between the two treatments was observed.
Conclusion:
This cell line showed a marked radioresistance to conventional clinical doses, showing attempts to repair the induced damage, while temozolomide treatment showed no cytotoxic effects.
Related Concept Videos
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway
DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle
DNA Damage Can Stall the Cell Cycle
Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy
Mutations
Chromosomal Alterations Are Large-Scale Mutations
While point mutations are changes in a single nucleotide in...
