Apoptosis

The term ‘apoptosis’ was coined more than 30 years ago to define a cell death process that is accompanied by condensation of cytoplasm, loss of plasma membrane microvilli, and segmentation of the nucleus. This process is characterized biochemically by the extensive degradation of chromosomal DNA into oligomers of 180 bp. The underlying molecular mechanisms of apoptosis, as well as its physiological and pathological roles, were elusive for a long time. Recent studies have rapidly identified molecules that regulate the apoptotic process, and the physiological and pathological roles of this process are emerging. Here, I summarize the current knowledge on apoptotic cell death.