Dynamics of apoptosis in the ovarian follicle cells during the late stages of Drosophila oogenesis

In the present study, we demonstrate the apoptotic events of the ovarian follicle cells during the late stages of oogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. Follicle cell morphology appears normal from stage 10 up to stage 14, exhibiting a euchromatic nucleus and a well-organized cytoplasm. First signs of apoptosis appear at the anterior pole of the egg chamber at stage 14A. They are characterized by loss of microvilli at the apical cell membrane, alterations in nuclear morphology, such as chromatin condensation and convolution of the nuclear membrane, and also by condensation and vacuolization of the cytoplasm. During the following stage 14B, the follicle cell nuclei contain fragmented DNA as is demonstrated by acridine orange staining and TUNEL (TdT-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling) assay. Finally, the apoptotic follicle cells seem to detach from the eggshell when the mature egg chamber exits the ovariole. The detached follicle cells exhibit condensed nuclear chromatin, a disorganized cytoplasm with crowded organelles and are surrounded by epithelial cells. The above results seem to be associated with the abundant phagocytosis that we observed at the entry of the lateral oviducts, where the epithelial cells contain apoptotic cell bodies. Additionally, we tested the effect of etoposide treatment in the follicular epithelium and found that it induces apoptosis in a stage- and site-specific manner. These observations suggest a possible method of absorption of the apoptotic follicle cells that prevents the blockage of the ovarioles and helps the regular production of mature eggs.