Apoptosis Gene

Apoptosis Gene

Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death in multicultural organisms. It is one of the main types of programmed cell deaths (PCD) and involves a series of biochemical events leading to a characteristic cell morphology and death, in more specific terms, a series of biochemical events that lead to a variety of morphological changes, including blebbing, changes to the cell membrane such as loss of membrane asymmetry and attachment, cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and chromosomal DNA fragmentation.

Cell termination

Apoptosis can occur when a cell is damaged beyond repair, infected with a virus, or undergoing stress conditions such as starvation. DNA damage from ionizing radiation or toxic chemicals can also induce apoptosis via the actions of the tumour-suppressing gene p53. The "decision" for apoptosis can come from the cell itself, from the surrounding tissue, or from a cell that is part of the immune system. In these cases apoptosis functions to remove the damaged cell, preventing it from sapping further nutrients from the organism, or to prevent the spread of viral infection.

Homeostasis

In the adult organism, the number of cells is kept relatively constant through cell death and division. Cells must be replaced when they become diseased or malfunctioning; but proliferation must be compensated by cell death. This balancing process is part of the homeostasis required by living organisms to maintain their internal states within certain limits.