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By design or by chance: cell death during Drosophila embryogenesis

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Abstract

Cell death plays an essential role during Drosophila embryogenesis. However, it remains an enigma as to what mechanisms determine (or select) the specific cells to be eliminated at a particular developmental stage. Is it mostly dependent on the lineage of the cell, signifying genetic predetermination, or is it due to the failure of a cell to compete for growth factors, which is more or less by chance? Recent developments in studying the molecular mechanism of cell death during Drosophila embryogenesis has provided much insight into our understanding of the relative importance of, and the interaction between, these two mechanisms in shaping the embryo.

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Acknowledgements

Our work is supported by NIH grants CA095542 and AI067555. The authors are grateful for the comments and suggestions provided by Dr. Bertrand Mollereau.

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  1. Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, UF Shands Cancer Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610-0232, USA

    Nianwei Lin, Can Zhang, John Pang & Lei Zhou

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  1. Nianwei Lin
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Correspondence to Lei Zhou.

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Lin, N., Zhang, C., Pang, J. et al. By design or by chance: cell death during Drosophila embryogenesis. Apoptosis 14, 935–942 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10495-009-0360-8

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