ABSTRACT
In apoptosis an individual cell undergoes an internally controlled transition from an intact metabolically active state into a number of shrunken remnants more or less retaining their membrane integrity (1,2). Lysis of cellular organelles does not occur until late in this process and little leakage of the contents of the dying cell can be detected. As a consequence, apoptotic cells do not induce an inflammatory response in vivo. Instead the shrunken apoptotic bodies are specifically recognized and phagocytosed by other cells, allowing their contents to be recycled (3). Therefore, apoptosis provides an organism with both a safe and efficient way to continuously turn over cells in any tissue, and the capability to remove specific cells during development.
