ABSTRACT
Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death in multicellular organisms characterized by biochemical events that lead to a variety of morphological changes, including blebbing and changes to the cell membranes. These changes depend on many signaling processes, including important reactive oxygen species (ROS)- and reactive nitrogen species (RNS)-mediated cascades. In contrast to apoptosis, necrosis is an accidental death of cells, which also depends on ROS, but in this case, free radicals play mainly a damaging role, and their signaling functions may not be as important as in apoptosis. Therefore, this chapter will be dedicated to the study of the signaling role of ROS and RNS in apoptosis.
