Quantification of drug induced mitochondria- and caspase-mediated apoptosis signaling in primary leukemia cells by flow cytometry

Analysis of apoptosis pathways in primary leukemia cells for assessment of drug sensitivity or resistance has been hampered by the lack of convenient methods for measurement of activated apoptosis signaling. Caspase activation and mitochondrial alterations are key components of apoptosis signal transduction. We developed and characterized a flow cytometric method for combined measurement of caspase activation by cleavage of (Asp)2-rhodamine 110 (D2R) and mitochondrial membrane potential in living cells. Upon apoptosis induction, in Jurkat T cell leukemia cells, the D2R cleavage signal precedes phosphatidyl-serin…