Multiple Apoptotic Caspase Cascades Are Required in Nonapoptotic Roles for Drosophila Spermatid Individualization
Figure 1
Caspase Activity Is Required for Spermatid Individualization
(A–C) Testis of different genotypes were visualized with antibodies specific for activated Drice (green). (A) Wild-type testis. Active DRICE is present in multiple elongated cysts. Cystic bulges (cb) and waste bags (wb) are indicated by arrows. (B and C) Testes from β2tub-DIAP1 and β2tub-p35 males, respectively. Active DRICE is present in elongated cysts, but cystic bulges and waste bags are reduced in number and size.
(D–F) Phalloidin-stained investment cones from testes of different genotypes (red). Spermatid axonemes in (D)–(F) are highlighted by the AXO49 antibody, which recognizes polyglycylated β2tub (Bressac et al. 1995) (blue). (D) In wild-type testes, investment cones move as a coordinated group. (E and F) Coordinated investment cone movement is disrupted in cysts from β2tub-DIAP1 and β2tub-p35 males, respectively.
(G–L) EM sections of elongated cysts of different genotypes. (G) A cyst from a wild-type male that has undergone individualization. The boxed region is shown at higher magnification in (J), along with the locations of the major mitochondrial derivative (mj), minor mitochondrial derivative (mi), and axoneme (ax). A single spermatid unit is outlined with a dashed line. (H and I) In cysts from β2tub-DIAP1 and β2tub-p35 males, respectively, many spermatid units are present in a common cytoplasm that contains organelles, often including an enlarged minor mitochondrial derivative. Boxed regions of β2tub-DIAP1 and β2tub-p35 cysts shown in (H) and (I) are shown at higher magnification in (K) and (L), respectively. Several examples of multiple spermatids present in a common cytoplasm are outlined by the dashed line in (K) and (L). Scale bar for EM micrographs = 1 μm.