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Nagai H, Adachi Y, Nakasugi T, Takigawa E, Ui J, Makino T, Miura M, Nakajima YI. Highly regenerative species-specific genes improve age-associated features in the adult Drosophila midgut. BMC Biol 2024; 22:157. [PMID: 39090637 PMCID: PMC11295675 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01956-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The remarkable regenerative abilities observed in planarians and cnidarians are closely linked to the active proliferation of adult stem cells and the precise differentiation of their progeny, both of which typically deteriorate during aging in low regenerative animals. While regeneration-specific genes conserved in highly regenerative organisms may confer regenerative abilities and long-term maintenance of tissue homeostasis, it remains unclear whether introducing these regenerative genes into low regenerative animals can improve their regeneration and aging processes. RESULTS Here, we ectopically express highly regenerative species-specific JmjC domain-encoding genes (HRJDs) in Drosophila, a widely used low regenerative model organism. Surprisingly, HRJD expression impedes tissue regeneration in the developing wing disc but extends organismal lifespan when expressed in the intestinal stem cell lineages of the adult midgut under non-regenerative conditions. Notably, HRJDs enhance the proliferative activity of intestinal stem cells while maintaining their differentiation fidelity, ameliorating age-related decline in gut barrier functions. CONCLUSIONS These findings together suggest that the introduction of highly regenerative species-specific genes can improve stem cell functions and promote a healthy lifespan when expressed in aging animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Nagai
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400, Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Yuya Adachi
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Tenki Nakasugi
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Ema Takigawa
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Junichiro Ui
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Takashi Makino
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3 Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan
| | - Masayuki Miura
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yu-Ichiro Nakajima
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
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Singh A, Chimata AV, Deshpande P, Bajpai S, Sangeeth A, Rajput M, Singh A. SARS-CoV2 Nsp3 protein triggers cell death and exacerbates amyloid β42-mediated neurodegeneration. Neural Regen Res 2024; 19:1385-1392. [PMID: 37905889 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.382989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
JOURNAL/nrgr/04.03/01300535-202406000-00044/inline-graphic1/v/2023-10-30T152229Z/r/image-tiff
Infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) virus, responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, induces symptoms including increased inflammatory response, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), cognitive dysfunction like brain fog, and cardiovascular defects. Long-term effects of SARS-CoV2 COVID-19 syndrome referred to as post-COVID-19 syndrome on age-related progressive neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease remain understudied. Using the targeted misexpression of individual SARS-CoV2 proteins in the retinal neurons of the Drosophila
melanogaster eye, we found that misexpression of nonstructural protein 3 (Nsp3), a papain-like protease, ablates the eye and generates dark necrotic spots. Targeted misexpression of Nsp3 in the eye triggers reactive oxygen species production and leads to apoptosis as shown by cell death reporters, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) dUTP Nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay, and dihydroethidium staining. Furthermore, Nsp3 misexpression activates both apoptosis and autophagy mechanism(s) to regulate tissue homeostasis. Transient expression of SARS-CoV2 Nsp3 in murine neuroblastoma, Neuro-2a cells, significantly reduced the metabolic activity of these cells and triggers cell death. Misexpression of SARS-CoV2 Nsp3 in an Alzheimer’s disease transgenic fly eye model (glass multiple repeats [GMR]>amyloid β42) further enhances the neurodegenerative rough eye phenotype due to increased cell death. These findings suggest that SARS-CoV2 utilizes Nsp3 protein to potentiate cell death response in a neurodegenerative disease background that has high pre-existing levels of neuroinflammation and cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
| | | | | | - Soumya Bajpai
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
| | - Anjali Sangeeth
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
| | | | - Amit Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton (TREND), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- The Integrative Science and Engineering Center, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Center for Genomic Advocacy (TCGA), Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN, USA
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Mehta AS, Teymoori S, Recendez C, Fregoso D, Gallegos A, Yang HY, Aslankoohi E, Rolandi M, Isseroff RR, Zhao M, Gomez M. Quantifying innervation facilitated by deep learning in wound healing. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16885. [PMID: 37803028 PMCID: PMC10558471 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42743-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The peripheral nerves (PNs) innervate the dermis and epidermis, and are suggested to play an important role in wound healing. Several methods to quantify skin innervation during wound healing have been reported. Those usually require multiple observers, are complex and labor-intensive, and the noise/background associated with the immunohistochemistry (IHC) images could cause quantification errors/user bias. In this study, we employed the state-of-the-art deep neural network, Denoising Convolutional Neural Network (DnCNN), to perform pre-processing and effectively reduce the noise in the IHC images. Additionally, we utilized an automated image analysis tool, assisted by Matlab, to accurately determine the extent of skin innervation during various stages of wound healing. The 8 mm wound is generated using a circular biopsy punch in the wild-type mouse. Skin samples were collected on days 3, 7, 10 and 15, and sections from paraffin-embedded tissues were stained against pan-neuronal marker- protein-gene-product 9.5 (PGP 9.5) antibody. On day 3 and day 7, negligible nerve fibers were present throughout the wound with few only on the lateral boundaries of the wound. On day 10, a slight increase in nerve fiber density appeared, which significantly increased on day 15. Importantly, we found a positive correlation (R2 = 0.926) between nerve fiber density and re-epithelization, suggesting an association between re-innervation and re-epithelization. These results established a quantitative time course of re-innervation in wound healing, and the automated image analysis method offers a novel and useful tool to facilitate the quantification of innervation in the skin and other tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abijeet Singh Mehta
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
| | - Sam Teymoori
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - Cynthia Recendez
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Daniel Fregoso
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Anthony Gallegos
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Hsin-Ya Yang
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Elham Aslankoohi
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - Marco Rolandi
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | | | - Min Zhao
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
| | - Marcella Gomez
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA.
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Chimata AV, Darnell H, Raj A, Kango-Singh M, Singh A. Transcriptional pausing factor M1BP regulates cellular homeostasis by suppressing autophagy and apoptosis in Drosophila eye. AUTOPHAGY REPORTS 2023; 2:2252307. [PMID: 37746026 PMCID: PMC10512699 DOI: 10.1080/27694127.2023.2252307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
During organogenesis cellular homeostasis plays a crucial role in patterning and growth. The role of promoter proximal pausing of RNA polymerase II, which regulates transcription of several developmental genes by GAGA factor or Motif 1 Binding Protein (M1BP), has not been fully understood in cellular homeostasis. Earlier, we reported that M1BP, a functional homolog of ZKSCAN3, regulates wingless and caspase-dependent cell death (apoptosis) in the Drosophila eye. Further, blocking apoptosis does not fully rescue the M1BPRNAi phenotype of reduced eye. Therefore, we looked for other possible mechanism(s). In a forward genetic screen, members of the Jun-amino-terminal-(NH2)-Kinase (JNK) pathway were identified. Downregulation of M1BP ectopically induces JNK, a pro-death pathway known to activate both apoptosis and caspase-independent (autophagy) cell death. Activation of JNK pathway components can enhance M1BPRNAi phenotype and vice-versa. Downregulation of M1BP ectopically induced JNK signaling, which leads to apoptosis and autophagy. Apoptosis and autophagy are regulated independently by their genetic circuitry. Here, we found that blocking either apoptosis or autophagy alone rescues the reduced eye phenotype of M1BP downregulation; whereas, blocking both apoptosis and autophagy together significantly rescues the M1BP reduced eye phenotype to near wild-type in nearly 85% progeny. This data suggests that the cellular homeostasis response demonstrated by two independent cell death mechanisms, apoptosis and autophagy, can be regulated by a common transcriptional pausing mechanism orchestrated by M1BP. Since these fundamental processes are conserved in higher organisms, this novel functional link between M1BP and regulation of both apoptosis and autophagy can be extrapolated to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hannah Darnell
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
| | - Akanksha Raj
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
| | - Madhuri Kango-Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Integrative Science and Engineering (ISE), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
| | - Amit Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Center for Tissue Regeneration & Engineering (TREND), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Integrative Science and Engineering (ISE), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
- Center for Genomic Advocacy (TCGA), Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN, USA
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Deshpande P, Chimata AV, Snider E, Singh A, Kango-Singh M, Singh A. N-Acetyltransferase 9 ameliorates Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration in the Drosophila eye. Cell Death Dis 2023; 14:478. [PMID: 37507384 PMCID: PMC10382493 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-05973-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, manifests as accumulation of amyloid-beta-42 (Aβ42) plaques and intracellular accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) that results in microtubule destabilization. Targeted expression of human Aβ42 (GMR > Aβ42) in developing Drosophila eye retinal neurons results in Aβ42 plaque(s) and mimics AD-like extensive neurodegeneration. However, there remains a gap in our understanding of the underlying mechanism(s) for Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration. To address this gap in information, we conducted a forward genetic screen, and identified N-acetyltransferase 9 (Mnat9) as a genetic modifier of GMR > Aβ42 neurodegenerative phenotype. Mnat9 is known to stabilize microtubules by inhibiting c-Jun-N- terminal kinase (JNK) signaling. We found that gain-of-function of Mnat9 rescues GMR > Aβ42 mediated neurodegenerative phenotype whereas loss-of-function of Mnat9 exhibits the converse phenotype of enhanced neurodegeneration. Here, we propose a new neuroprotective function of Mnat9 in downregulating the JNK signaling pathway to ameliorate Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration, which is independent of its acetylation activity. Transgenic flies expressing human NAT9 (hNAT9), also suppresses Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration thereby suggesting functional conservation in the interaction of fly Mnat9 or hNAT9 with JNK-mediated neurodegeneration. These studies add to the repertoire of molecular mechanisms that mediate cell death response following accumulation of Aβ42 and may provide new avenues for targeting neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Emily Snider
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA
| | - Aditi Singh
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA
| | - Madhuri Kango-Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA
- Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA
- The Integrative Science and Engineering Center, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA
| | - Amit Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA.
- Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA.
- The Integrative Science and Engineering Center, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA.
- Center for Genomic Advocacy (TCGA), Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN, USA.
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Mehta AS, Teymoori S, Recendez C, Fregoso D, Gallegos A, Yang HY, Isseroff R, Zhao M, Gomez M, Aslankoohi E, Rolandi M. Quantifying innervation facilitated by deep learning in wound healing. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3088471. [PMID: 37461461 PMCID: PMC10350234 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3088471/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
The peripheral nerves (PNs) innervate the dermis and epidermis, which have been suggested to play an important role in wound healing. Several methods to quantify skin innervation during wound healing have been reported. Those usually require multiple observers, are complex and labor-intensive, and noise/background associated with the Immunohistochemistry (IHC) images could cause quantification errors/user bias. In this study, we employed the state-of-the-art deep neural network, DnCNN, to perform pre-processing and effectively reduce the noise in the IHC images. Additionally, we utilized an automated image analysis tool, assisted by Matlab, to accurately determine the extent of skin innervation during various stages of wound healing. The 8mm wound is generated using a circular biopsy punch in the wild-type mouse. Skin samples were collected on days 3,7,10 and 15, and sections from paraffin-embedded tissues were stained against pan-neuronal marker- protein-gene-product 9.5 (PGP 9.5) antibody. On day 3 and day 7, negligible nerve fibers were present throughout the wound with few only on the lateral boundaries of the wound. On day 10, a slight increase in nerve fiber density appeared, which significantly increased on day 15. Importantly we found a positive correlation (R 2 = 0.933) between nerve fiber density and re-epithelization, suggesting an association between re-innervation and re-epithelization. These results established a quantitative time course of re-innervation in wound healing, and the automated image analysis method offers a novel and useful tool to facilitate the quantification of innervation in the skin and other tissues.
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7
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Mehta AS, Teymoori S, Recendez C, Fregoso D, Gallegos A, Yang HY, Isseroff RR, Zhao M, Gomez M. Quantifying innervation facilitated by deep learning in wound healing. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.14.544960. [PMID: 37398108 PMCID: PMC10312705 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.14.544960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
The peripheral nerves (PNs) innervate the dermis and epidermis, which have been suggested to play an important role in wound healing. Several methods to quantify skin innervation during wound healing have been reported. Those usually require multiple observers, are complex and labor-intensive, and noise/background associated with the Immunohistochemistry (IHC) images could cause quantification errors/user bias. In this study, we employed the state-of-the-art deep neural network, DnCNN, to perform pre-processing and effectively reduce the noise in the IHC images. Additionally, we utilized an automated image analysis tool, assisted by Matlab, to accurately determine the extent of skin innervation during various stages of wound healing. The 8mm wound is generated using a circular biopsy punch in the wild-type mouse. Skin samples were collected on days 3,7,10 and 15, and sections from paraffin-embedded tissues were stained against pan-neuronal marker- protein-gene-product 9.5 (PGP 9.5) antibody. On day 3 and day 7, negligible nerve fibers were present throughout the wound with few only on the lateral boundaries of the wound. On day 10, a slight increase in nerve fiber density appeared, which significantly increased on day 15. Importantly we found a positive correlation (R- 2 = 0.933) between nerve fiber density and re-epithelization, suggesting an association between re-innervation and re-epithelization. These results established a quantitative time course of re-innervation in wound healing, and the automated image analysis method offers a novel and useful tool to facilitate the quantification of innervation in the skin and other tissues.
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Hashemi L, Ormsbee ME, Patel PJ, Nielson JA, Ahlander J, Padash Barmchi M. A Drosophila model of HPV16-induced cancer reveals conserved disease mechanism. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0278058. [PMID: 36508448 PMCID: PMC9744332 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
High-risk human papillomaviruses (HR-HPVs) cause almost all cervical cancers and a significant number of vaginal, vulvar, penile, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers. HPV16 and 18 are the most prevalent types among HR-HPVs and together cause more than 70% of all cervical cancers. Low vaccination rate and lack of molecularly-targeted therapeutics for primary therapy have led to a slow reduction in cervical cancer incidence and high mortality rate. Hence, creating new models of HPV-induced cancer that can facilitate understanding of the disease mechanism and identification of key cellular targets of HPV oncogenes are important for development of new interventions. Here in this study, we used the tissue-specific expression technique, Gal4-UAS, to establish the first Drosophila model of HPV16-induced cancer. Using this technique, we expressed HPV16 oncogenes E5, E6, E7 and the human E3 ligase (hUBE3A) specifically in the epithelia of Drosophila eye, which allows simple phenotype scoring without affecting the viability of the organism. We found that, as in human cells, hUBE3A is essential for cellular abnormalities caused by HPV16 oncogenes in flies. Several proteins targeted for degradation by HPV16 oncoproteins in human cells were also reduced in the Drosophila epithelial cells. Cell polarity and adhesion were compromised, resulting in impaired epithelial integrity. Cells did not differentiate to the specific cell types of ommatidia, but instead were transformed into neuron-like cells. These cells extended axon-like structures to connect to each other and exhibited malignant behavior, migrating away to distant sites. Our findings suggest that given the high conservation of genes and signaling pathways between humans and flies, the Drosophila model of HPV16- induced cancer could serve as an excellent model for understanding the disease mechanism and discovery of novel molecularly-targeted therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia Hashemi
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States of America
| | - McKenzi E. Ormsbee
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States of America
| | - Prashant J. Patel
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States of America
| | - Jacquelyn A. Nielson
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
| | - Joseph Ahlander
- Department of Natural Sciences, Northeastern State University, Broken Arrow, OK, United States of America
| | - Mojgan Padash Barmchi
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
Cell death maintains tissue homeostasis by eliminating dispensable cells. Misregulation of cell death is seen in diseases like cancer, neurodegeneration, etc. Therefore, cell death assays like TUNEL have become reliable tools, where fragmented DNA of dying cells gets fluorescently labeled and can be detected under microscope. We used TUNEL assay in Drosophila melanogaster third-instar larval eye-antennal imaginal discs to label and quantify cell death. This assay is sensitive to detect DNA fragmentation, an important event, during apoptosis in retinal neurons. For complete details on the use and execution of this profile, please refer to Wang et al. (1999), Tare et al. (2011), and Mehta et al. (2021). Combines immunohistochemistry and TUNEL assay to measure cell death Marks the fragmented DNA to quantify dying cells in specific regions of the tissue This protocol can be adapted to assay cell death in other tissues as well
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