Quantitating Lymphocyte Programmed Cell Death In Vitro Using Simple Kill Assays

Programmed cell death is essential to maintaining lymphocyte homeostasis during the contraction phase of the immune response. Activated lymphocytes become susceptible to a variety of programmed cell death (PCD) stimuli over the course of a typical immune response. This chapter outlines two simple approaches for measuring programmed cell death of lymphocytes cultured in vitro, regardless of the stimulus provided. These techniques exploit changes in plasma membrane integrity and/or mitochondrial membrane potential that are characteristic of cells undergoing PCD. The detection methods discussed are generally applicable for assessing cell death in several contexts, expanded upon in further detail in subsequent chapters.