Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

DNA Damage Can Stall the Cell Cycle02:36

DNA Damage Can Stall the Cell Cycle

In response to DNA damage, cells can pause the cell cycle to assess and repair the breaks. However, the cell must check the DNA at certain critical stages during the cell cycle. If the cell cycle pauses before DNA replication, the cells will contain twice the amount of DNA. On the other hand, if cells arrest after DNA replication but before mitosis, they will contain four times the normal amount of DNA. With a host of specialized proteins at their disposal,cells must use the right protein at...
DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle02:36

DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle

In response to DNA damage, cells can pause the cell cycle to assess and repair the breaks. However, the cell must check the DNA at certain critical stages during the cell cycle. If the cell cycle pauses before DNA replication, the cells will contain twice the amount of DNA. On the other hand, if cells arrest after DNA replication but before mitosis, they will contain four times the normal amount of DNA. With a host of specialized proteins at their disposal,cells must use the right protein at...
Overview of DNA Repair02:25

Overview of DNA Repair

In order to be passed through generations, genomic DNA must be undamaged and error-free. However, every day, DNA in a cell undergoes several thousand to a million damaging events by natural causes and external factors. Ionizing radiation such as UV rays, free radicals produced during cellular respiration, and hydrolytic damage from metabolic reactions can alter the structure of DNA. Damages caused include single-base alteration, base dimerization, chain breaks, and cross-linkage.
Chemically...
Overview of DNA Repair02:25

Overview of DNA Repair

In order to be passed through generations, genomic DNA must be undamaged and error-free. However, every day, DNA in a cell undergoes several thousand to a million damaging events by natural causes and external factors. Ionizing radiation such as UV rays, free radicals produced during cellular respiration, and hydrolytic damage from metabolic reactions can alter the structure of DNA. Damages caused include single-base alteration, base dimerization, chain breaks, and cross-linkage.
Chemically...
Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy01:22

Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy

Cells respond to damage and stress through highly coordinated processes that decide whether they survive or undergo controlled self-destruction. Two major pathways involved in this regulation are apoptosis, a type of programmed cell death, and autophagy, a survival mechanism that helps cells adapt to adverse conditions.ApoptosisApoptosis removes aged or injured cells to maintain tissue balance. During this process, the cell shrinks, chromatin condenses and fragments, and membrane-bound...
Nucleotide Excision Repair01:38

Nucleotide Excision Repair

DNA Distortion and Damage
Cells are regularly exposed to mutagens—factors in the environment that can damage DNA and generate mutations. UV radiation is one of the most common mutagens and is estimated to introduce a significant number of changes in DNA. These include bends or kinks in the structure, which can block DNA replication or transcription. If these errors are not fixed, the damage can cause mutations, which in turn can result in cancer or disease depending on which sequences are...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Endogenous expression and subcellular localization of core apoptosis regulators reveal key differences between embryonic and germline apoptosis in C. elegans.

Cell death and differentiation·2026
Same author

Multiple ShKT domain-containing MUL-1 proteins act as redox-responsive modulators of oxidative stress signaling in C. elegans.

Molecules and cells·2026
Same author

COSA-1-SLX-4 interaction directly links crossover designation with Holliday junction resolution.

Science advances·2026
Same author

Endogenous Expression and Subcellular Localization of Core Apoptosis Regulators Reveal Key Differences Between Embryonic and Germline Apoptosis in C. elegans.

Research square·2026
Same author

Tardigrade Dsup extends <i>C. elegans</i> life span by impeding mitochondrial respiration and promoting oxidative stress resistance.

Science advances·2025
Same author

Functional dissection of the conserved C. elegans LEM-3/ANKLE1 nuclease reveals a crucial requirement for the LEM-like and GIY-YIG domains for DNA bridge processing.

Nucleic acids research·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 19, 2026

Cell Cycle-specific Measurement of &#947;H2AX and Apoptosis After Genotoxic Stress by Flow Cytometry
08:21

Cell Cycle-specific Measurement of γH2AX and Apoptosis After Genotoxic Stress by Flow Cytometry

Published on: September 1, 2019

Germ cell apoptosis and DNA damage responses.

Aymeric Bailly1, Anton Gartner

  • 1Centre de Recherche de Biochimie Macromoleculaire, Montpellier Cedex 5, France.

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
|August 9, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Research in C. elegans reveals multiple genetic pathways drive germ cell apoptosis, essential for tissue homeostasis. These pathways, involving core apoptosis components, are regulated by DNA damage and meiotic defects.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Cellular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Research on Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) germ cell apoptosis has significantly expanded over the last 12 years.
  • Multiple genetic pathways have been identified that lead to the programmed cell death of germ cells.
  • These pathways converge on core apoptosis components: CED-9/Bcl-2, Apaf-1/CED-4, and CED-3 caspase.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and synthesize current understanding of the regulation of germ cell apoptosis in C. elegans.
  • To highlight the physiological role of germ cell apoptosis in maintaining tissue homeostasis.
  • To discuss pathways involved in DNA damage-induced and meiotic defect-induced germ cell apoptosis.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on C. elegans germ cell apoptosis.

More Related Videos

Visualizing and Quantifying Endonuclease-Based Site-Specific DNA Damage
10:59

Visualizing and Quantifying Endonuclease-Based Site-Specific DNA Damage

Published on: August 21, 2021

Detection of DNA Double-Stranded Breaks in Mouse Oocytes
07:46

Detection of DNA Double-Stranded Breaks in Mouse Oocytes

Published on: June 23, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 19, 2026

Cell Cycle-specific Measurement of &#947;H2AX and Apoptosis After Genotoxic Stress by Flow Cytometry
08:21

Cell Cycle-specific Measurement of γH2AX and Apoptosis After Genotoxic Stress by Flow Cytometry

Published on: September 1, 2019

Visualizing and Quantifying Endonuclease-Based Site-Specific DNA Damage
10:59

Visualizing and Quantifying Endonuclease-Based Site-Specific DNA Damage

Published on: August 21, 2021

Detection of DNA Double-Stranded Breaks in Mouse Oocytes
07:46

Detection of DNA Double-Stranded Breaks in Mouse Oocytes

Published on: June 23, 2023

  • Analysis of genetic pathways regulating apoptosis.
  • Comparison of C. elegans pathways with those in the mouse germ line.

    • Main Results:

    • Physiological apoptosis eliminates over 50% of germ cells, crucial for tissue homeostasis.
    • DNA damage-induced germ cell apoptosis is a well-studied pathway, regulated similarly to mouse germ line apoptosis and involving p53 family transcription factors.
    • Distinct pathways trigger germ cell apoptosis in response to meiotic recombination defects and chromosome pairing issues.

    Conclusions:

    • Germ cell apoptosis in C. elegans is a complex process regulated by multiple genetic pathways.
    • These pathways are essential for tissue homeostasis and respond to various cellular stresses, including DNA damage and meiotic errors.
    • Further research is needed to fully elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of these apoptosis pathways.