Apoptosis

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Apoptosis

Apoptosis (pronounced: /ˌæpəˈtoʊsɪs/, from Ancient Greek: ἀπόπτωσις, apoptōsis, "falling off") is a form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes (morphology) and death. These changes include blebbing, cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, chromosomal DNA fragmentation, and global mRNA decay.

Etymology

The term "apoptosis" (ἀπόπτωσις) was first used in a now-classic paper by Kerr, Wyllie, and Currie in 1972 to describe a morphologically distinct form of cell death, although certain components of the apoptosis concept had been described years earlier. The term is derived from the Greek words apo (ἀπό, "away from") and ptosis (πτῶσις, "falling").

Process

The process of apoptosis is controlled by a diverse range of cell signals, which may originate either extracellularly (Extracellular signaling) or intracellularly (Intracellular signaling). Inducers of apoptosis include intracellular signals produced in response to cellular stress, and extracellular signals such as hormones, growth factors, cytokines, and ligands of cell surface death receptors.

Related Terms

  • Necrosis: A form of cell injury which results in the premature death of cells in living tissue.
  • Autophagy: A cellular process that involves the degradation of a cell's own components through the lysosomal machinery.
  • Cell Death: The event of a biological cell ceasing to carry out its functions.
  • Caspases: A family of protease enzymes playing essential roles in programmed cell death (including apoptosis), necrosis, and inflammation.

See Also

External links

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