Answer to Question #93335 in Molecular Biology for Kylie

Question

Explain the morphological changes in apoptosis.

Answer 1

Apoptosis is a process of the programmed death of a cell. Apoptosis is a biochemically specific type of cell death, characterized by the activation of non-lysosomal endogenous endonucleases, which cleave nuclear DNA into small fragments. Morphologically, apoptosis is represented by the death of single, disordered cells, which is accompanied by the formation of round, membrane-enclosed bodies that are removed by phagocytosis by the surrounding cells. Apoptotic cells form round or oval clusters of intensely eosinophilic cytoplasm with dense nuclear chromatin fragments. A cell undergoing apoptosis is characterized by cell compression, chromatin condensation, and formation of cavities and apoptotic bodies in the cytoplasm.