A pilot design to propose an apoptosis definition based on gene expression data

Introduction: Apoptosis is a programmed cell death commonly investigated in researches. Objectives: According to the lack of a gold standard for definition of apoptosis, we conducted a pilot analysis to propose a new definition for apoptosis based on a previous gene expression data. Materials and Methods: As a secondary analysis, a gene expression data of a vitrification thawing induced model of apoptosis conducted on ten mice ovaries was used. Half of the samples had been treated with selenium. P53, Fas, Bax and Bcl2 were considered as apoptosis related genes. Their +∆CTs were reported. An apoptosis scoring system was designed based on regression analysis. Results: In multiple regression of the genes, the only significant association was for Bcl2 expression for prediction of apoptosis. Then a model was designed consisting of Bcl2 and some interactions that the calculated amount of its formula was considered as the scoring system (R2 = 0.989, P (>F) <0.001, Root mean square deviation = 0.082). Bax/Bcl2 ratio showed an acceptable goodness of fit for prediction of this score (R2 = 0.845, P (>F) <0.001, root mean square deviation = 0.219). No conclusive result was found for factor analysis. Conclusion: The present study used a simple approach to propose statistical models for apoptosis. A comprehensive criterion should be designed apoptosis and other biological systems to be considered as a gold standard.