Figure 18. pGFP-Atg8a can be used to monitor autophagy in Drosophila melanogaster. The autophagosome marker pGFP-Atg8a, results in expression of Atg8a fused to GFP from the endogenous Atg8a promoter.¹⁹⁹ Live imaging of gastric caeca from Drosophila melanogaster midgut; pGFP-Atg8a puncta (green) and Hoechst 33342 (blue). Midgut from early third instar larvae prior to the onset of cell death (top) and from dying midgut at 2 h after puparium formation (bottom). Bar, 25 µm. Figure provided by D. Denton and S. Kumar.