ABSTRACT
Protocol 7.1: Flow cytometric analysis of phosphatidylserine exposure and plasma membrane permeability of Jurkat cells, which are triggered to execute apoptosis by anti-Fas antibody
Protocol 7.2: Confocal scanning laser microscopic analysis of phosphatidylserine exposure and plasma membrane permeability of apoptotic Jurkat cells
Protocol 7.3: Light microscopic analysis of apoptotic cells in mouse embryonic tissue using Annexin A5-biotin
Protocol 7.4: Light microscopic analysis of apoptotic cells in the ischaemia/reperfusion injured heart of the adult mouse using Annexin A5-biotin
Protocol 7.5: Non-invasive analysis of cell death in patients using technetium-labelled Annexin A5 and SPECT
7.5 Detection of plasma membrane permeability 206
7.6 References 206
7.1 Introduction
Programmed cell death (PCD) is an essential part of both normal embryonic development and tissue homeostasis in the adult organism. Failure to invoke appropriate PCD may result in malformations, autoimmune disease or cancer, whereas increased cell death occurs in acute pathologies such as infection by toxin-producing microorganisms or ischaemia/reperfusion damage (infarction), as well as in chronic diseases such as immunodeficiency or neurodegenerative disorders. Instead of being a cause of disease, PCD may also be employed as a target in the clinic to treat diseases. For instance, many anti-cancer therapies including chemotherapy and radiotherapy are effective because they induce PCD of the tumour cell. This understanding has led to the exploration of novel therapeutic strategies, which target parts of the molecular machinery of PCD.
