Apoptosis in the chick wing bud and the permanence of FGF-2 rescue

Summary Two regions of programmed cell death that occur in the mesoderm of developing chick wing buds were studied in vitro. The opaque patch (OP) and posterior necrotic zone (PNZ) were examined for the presence of internucleosomal DNA degradation and for rescue by protein synthesis inhibition, two defining characteristics of apoptosis. Agarose gel electrophoresis showed that DNA from OP and PNZ tissue was cleaved into nucleosome size pieces and this cleavage was prevented by inhibition of protein synthesis with cycloheximide. Both regions showed rescue with cycloheximide as determined by the chromium release assay and examination of electron micrographs. Also, the permanence of basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) rescue in the OP and PNZ was examined using the chromium release assay. While rescue in the OP was found to be permanent, rescue in the PNZ only delayed death while FGF-2 was present in the culture medium. This research shows that death in the OP and PNZ exhibits internucleosomal DNA fragmentation and is prevented by inhibition of protein synthesis with cycloheximide, biochemically characterizing this death as apoptosis. It also suggests that in vitro FGF-2 rescue is permanent in the OP but is merely a delay of cell death in the PNZ.