Molecular Mechanism of Apoptosis and Necrosis

Organismal homeostasis depends on an intricate balance between cell death and renewal. Apoptosis is a process of programmed cell death that plays a critical role in some normal and pathologic conditions beginning from embryologic development and ends at death. Apoptosis is initiated by morphological changes at the cell membrane, surface organels and nucleus. Apoptosis starts with death signals coming from outside or inside of the cell and continue to activate the mechanisms of apoptosis via cell death receptor or mitochondrial pathways. During apoptosis a group proteases are activated which cause DNA fragmentation, cytoplasmic shrinkage and membrane blebbing. Apoptotic cells divide into apoptotic bodies and then these apoptotic bodies are removed from tissue by phagocytes and adjacent cells In contrast to the “programmed” nature of apoptosis, necrotic cell death has always been believed to be a random, uncontrolled process that leads to death of the cell. Also necrosis, which is an other type of cell death, came to be used to describe pathologic cell death which cause inflamation. [Archives Medical Review Journal 2011; 20(3.000): 145-158]