FLOW CYTOMETRY IN IMMUNOLOGY AND HEMATOLOGY 

Minerva Biotecnologica 1999 June;11(2):113-27

Copyright © 1999 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Morphological and functional analysis of apoptotic cells by flow cytometry

Mannucci R., Nicoletti I.

Image Analysis Laboratory, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Internal Medicine and Oncology, Perugia University Medical School, Perugia, Italy

Apop­tosis is a ­strictly reg­u­lated pro­cess for the ­removal of unnec­es­sary, ­aged or dam­aged ­cells and an alter­a­tion in the con­trol of apop­totic ­cell ­death can ­entail ­cancer, auto­im­mune dis­eases, ­immune defi­ciency and degen­er­a­tive dis­or­ders. ­This ­article ­briefly ­reviews the ­main mor­pho­log­ical and bio­chem­ical ­aspects of apop­totic ­cell ­death and ­describes sev­eral ­flow cytom­etry ­methods ­which can be ­used to ­follow ­changes ­during the apop­totic cas­cade and to quan­tify the ­number of apop­totic ­cells.