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Updated: Apr 16, 2026
Detecting Anastasis In Vivo by CaspaseTracker Biosensor
Published on: February 1, 2018
In vivo CaspaseTracker biosensor system for detecting anastasis and non-apoptotic caspase activity
Ho Lam Tang1, Ho Man Tang2, Ming Chiu Fung3
11] W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA [2] School of Life Sciences and Center for Soybean Research of the State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Mammalian cells can survive apoptosis, challenging prior assumptions. A new CaspaseTracker system in Drosophila reveals cells can recover from caspase activity, indicating non-apoptotic roles for caspases.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Active caspases are typically considered markers of impending cell death (apoptosis).
- Mammalian cells can survive late-stage apoptosis, but tools to track past caspase activity are lacking.
- Anastasis, or the reversal of apoptosis, remains poorly understood in whole animals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a biosensor system for tracking cells with past or present caspase activity in vivo.
- To investigate whether cells in whole animals can undergo anastasis following apoptotic caspase activation.
- To explore potential non-apoptotic physiological roles of caspases in healthy adult tissues.
Main Methods:
- Development of a dual-color CaspaseTracker system in Drosophila melanogaster.
- Exposure of flies to environmental stresses (cold shock, starvation) to induce caspase activity.
- Analysis of caspase activity and cell morphology in developing egg chambers and adult tissues.
Main Results:
- Transient stress activated the CaspaseTracker in developing egg chambers, correlating with caspase activity and apoptotic morphology.
- Upon return to normal conditions, stressed flies showed recovery, with healthy egg chambers and progeny labeled by the biosensor.
- Many adult tissues, including neurons, exhibited persistent CaspaseTracker-positivity in healthy flies, indicating basal caspase activity.
Conclusions:
- The CaspaseTracker system successfully identifies cells with past or present caspase activity in Drosophila.
- Evidence suggests that cells can functionally recover from apoptotic caspase activation (anastasis) in developing tissues.
- Widespread persistent caspase activity in healthy adult tissues implies crucial non-apoptotic physiological roles for caspases.
