Apoptosis and Necrosis

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a key part of embryonic development and tissue homeostasis in multicellular organisms. Cells undergoing apoptosis are characterized by distinct morphological changes and energy-dependent biochemical mechanisms. These characteristics include membrane blebbing, cell shrinkage, activation of caspase cascade, chromatin condensation and DNA fragmentation, as well as the production of membrane-bound apoptotic bodies. Since no single parameter entirely defines apoptosis, many different approaches are used in the study of cell death.