Simultaneous polychromatic flow cytometric detection of multiple forms of regulated cell death

Currently the study of Regulated Cell Death (RCD) processes is limited to the use of lysed cell populations for Western blot analysis of each separate RCD process. We have previously shown that intracellular antigen flow cytometric analysis of RIP3, Caspase-3 and cell viability dye allowed the determination of levels of apoptosis (Caspase-3(+ ve)/RIP3(− ve)), necroptosis (RIP3(Hi + ve)/Caspase-3(− ve)) and RIP1-dependent apoptosis (Caspase-3(+ ve)/RIP3(+ ve)) in a single Jurkat cell population. The addition of more intracellular markers allows the determination of the incidence of parthanatos (PARP), DNA Damage Response (DDR, H2AX), H2AX hyper-activation of PARP (H2AX/PARP) autophagy (LC3B) and ER stress (PERK), thus allowing the identification of 124 sub-populations both within live and dead cell populations. Shikonin simultaneously induced Jurkat cell apoptosis and necroptosis the degree of which can be shown flow cytometrically together with the effects of blockade of these forms of cell death by zVAD and necrostatin-1 have on specific RCD populations including necroptosis, early and late apoptosis and RIP1-dependent apoptosis phenotypes in live and dead cells. Necrostatin-1 and zVAD was shown to modulate levels of shikonin induced DDR, hyper-action of PARP and parthanatos in the four forms of RCD processes analysed. LC3B was up-regulated by combined treatment of zVAD with chloroquine which also revealed that DNA damage was reduced in live cells but enhanced in dead cells indicating the role of autophagy in maintaining cell health. This approach to RCD research should be a great advance to understanding the mechanisms of drugs and their effects upon RCD populations. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s10495-019-01528-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.