Programmed Cell Death Flashcards, test questions and answers

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What is Programmed Cell Death?

Programmed cell death, commonly referred to as apoptosis, is a natural biological process in which cells die in an orderly fashion. Apoptosis plays an important role in maintaining homeostasis and maintaining the balance of organisms. It is also responsible for the selective removal of damaged or infected cells, eliminating them before they can cause harm to other cells or tissues. In addition, apoptosis plays a key role in development and tissue renewal processes.Apoptosis occurs through specific biochemical pathways regulated by gene expression. The first step involves enzymes that activate caspases, which are proteins that trigger the destruction of cell structures such as membranes and organelles. These caspases then cleave and degrade other proteins within the cell, leading to its eventual death. As this process progresses, the cell begins to shrink and eventually fragments into small membrane-bound vesicles called apoptotic bodies that are removed from the surrounding environment by phagocytic cells such as macrophages.There are several different types of programmed cell death with each having distinct characteristics associated with it; these include necrosis, autophagy and necroptosis among others. Necrosis is a form of non-apoptotic cell death where there is uncontrolled cellular damage caused by external factors such as injury or infection while autophagy is an intracellular degradation process triggered during times of starvation where cellular components are degraded into macromolecules for reuse within the cell. Necroptosis on the other hand is a form of programmed necrosis which requires activation signals from specific cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα).Programmed Cell Death has both beneficial effects on organisms but can also have detrimental effects depending on how it’s regulated or deregulated; for example excessive apoptosis can lead to autoimmune disease or cancer formation due to disruption in normal tissue homeostasis while defects in programmed cell death pathways have been linked with neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease among others. As such research into understanding how cells die has become increasingly important due its implications for diseases states both acute and chronic but also for therapeutic interventions targeting these pathways .