ROS Regulate Caspase-Dependent Cell Delamination without Apoptosis in the Drosophila Pupal Notum

Thorax fusion occurs in the midline of the Drosophila pupal notum and involves epithelial cell delamination requiring apoptotic signaling. By genetic screening, we found that NADPH oxidases (Nox and Duox) associated with superoxide anion (O˙(-)(2)) are responsible for caspase-3 activation and delamination. We observed that Nox is upregulated in cells that undergo delamination and that delamination depends on caspase activation. However, the cell morphology and the almost complete lack of propidium iodide incorporation suggested little membrane disruption and signified apoptotic modulation. These results demonstrate that most delaminating cells undergo caspase activation, but this activation is not sufficient for apoptosis. We showed that the expression of Catalase, encoding an H(2)O(2) scavenger in the cytosol, increases delamination and induces apoptotic nuclear fragmentation in caspase-3-activated cells. These findings suggest that the roles of O˙(-)(2) and intracellular H(2)O(2) for delamination differs before and after caspase-3 activation, which involves live cell delamination.