ABSTRACT
As a gene-driven mode of cell death, apoptosis has a signifi cant role in eliminating unwanted cells during normal embryonic development and adult homeostasis. Its dysregulation leads to many diseases, including cancer and autoimmune disease. Its modulation, either by increasing it or decreasing it, has the potential to resolve issues relating to the pathogenesis of many diseases. For each role, accurate quantifi cation of apoptosis is crucial for defi ning its roles and the benefi ts of its modulation. Th e structural features of apoptosis that include the characteristic nuclear morphology and the condensation of the cell into discrete membranebound apoptotic bodies are all considered late-stage apoptosis. Nonetheless, these are what we see through a microscope, without use of special molecular markers, and are most oft en used for quantifi cation of the process. Th e molecular and biochemical pathways that lead to the regulated structural disintegration of the cell in apoptosis give an indication of the earlier stages of the process, including those that may be targeted for therapies. Not all of these known molecular changes, however, always lead to apoptotic death of cells; many of the molecular and biochemical changes can occur without processing of apoptosis, and some can be related to infl ammation as much as to cell death. Th is chapter provides an overview
of best practice for quantifi cation of apoptosis, using a mix of morphological, biochemical and molecular techniques.
