Ionizing radiation induces cells with past caspase activity that contribute to the adult organ in Drosophila and show reduced Loss of Heterozygosity.

There is increasing recognition that cells may activate apoptotic caspases but not die, instead displaying various physiologically relevant consequences. Mechanisms that underlie the life-or-death decision in a cell that has activated apoptotic caspases, however, are incompletely understood. By optimizing a published reporter for past caspase activity, we were able to visualize cells that survived caspase activation specifically after exposure to ionizing radiation in Drosophila larval wing discs.

Non-Apoptotic Role of Apoptotic Caspases in the Nervous System.

An increasing number of studies demonstrate that cells can activate apoptotic caspases but not die and, instead, display profound changes in cellular structure and function. In this minireview, we will discuss observations in the nervous system of that illustrate non-apoptotic roles of apoptotic caspases. We will preface these examples with similar observations in other experimental systems and end with a discussion of how apoptotic caspase activity might be constrained to provide non-lethal functions without killing the cell.