Calliphora vomitoria
Metamorphosis and cell death
### Metamorphosis and cell death

Undergoing metamorphosis requires a tremendous amount of change for the fly, such as cell death. While it is commonly believed that programmed cell death and [apoptosis](/wiki/Apoptosis "Apoptosis") are the same, they are not always so. At the beginning of [metamorphosis](/wiki/Metamorphosis "Metamorphosis") during the larvae stage, [salivary gland](/wiki/Salivary_gland "Salivary gland") cells of *Calliphora vomitoria* larvae are programmed to self\-destruct. After enough feeding, the larvae come to rest and an initial protein synthesis stage occurs, culminating in the production of high amounts of protein. This occurs from day 1 to about day 8\. Then, on day 9, cell death of salivary gland cells occurs. This pattern of synthesis and destruction is not to be confused with apoptosis, as no DNA degeneration is seen and cells are shown to vacuolate and swell (instead of condensing and shrinking, as in the case of apoptosis). Instead, selective expression and DNA synthesis occur during programmed cell death of salivary gland cells.[thumb\|*[Calliphora vicina](/wiki/Calliphora_vicina "Calliphora vicina")*, close relative of *C. vomitoria*\|alt\=\|left](/wiki/File:Calliphora_vicina.jpg "Calliphora vicina.jpg")


How do environmental factors influence cell death during metamorphosis?