Apoptosis

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We work with apoptosis. In all organisms, cells die for a variety of reasons, both intentional and unintentional. For example, during the early stages of development in mammals, an intricate program of cell proliferation and death is required to create organs of normal size and function. This also applies to the generation of an immune system that only recognizes foreign antigens and not those that are "self". Unintentional cellular insults may also trigger cell death such as those caused by ultraviolet light or chemical agents. This ordered destruction of a cell is referred to as programmed cell death or apoptosis and it is distinguishable from death by necrosis which is a considered a random event. The morphological features of apoptosis consist of chromatin condensation, cell shrinkage and membrane blebbing, which can be clearly observed by light microscopy. The biochemical features include DNA fragmentation, protein cleavage at specific locations, increased mitochondrial membrane permeability, and the appearance of phosphatidylserine on the cell membrane surface.