| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 1,756,735,013 visitors served. |
|
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
apoptosis |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.01 sec. |
apoptosisor programmed cell deathMechanism that allows cells to self-destruct when stimulated by the appropriate trigger. It may be initiated when a cell is no longer needed, when a cell becomes a threat to the organism's health, or for other reasons. The aberrant inhibition or initiation of apoptosis contributes to many disease processes, including cancer. Though embryologists had long been familiar with the process of programmed cell death, not until 1972 was the mechanism's broader significance recognized. Apoptosis is distinguished from necrosis, a form of cell death that results from injury. apoptosis [‚ā·pō′tō·səs] (cell and molecular biology) Death of cells triggered by extracellular signals or genetically programmed events, carried out by processes within the cell, and characterized by systemic breakdown of cellular constituents, in particular chromosomal deoxyribonucleic acid; may be involved in normal development and aging, or may serve to eliminate defective or damaged cells. Also known as programmed cell death. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| ? Mentioned in | ? References in periodicals archive | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lymphocytes, in particular, undergo massive and apparently unregulated apoptosis in human patients and laboratory animals with sepsis, potentially playing a major role in the severe immunosuppression that characterizes the terminal phase of fatal illness. Studies have shown that inhibition or depletion of RLIP76, a glutathione-conjugate transport protein that helps cells defend themselves against toxicants, causes apoptosis in a number of cancer cell types. By reawakening the apoptosis that seems to fail in many tumor cells, J. |
| Encyclopedia |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Free toolbar & extensions |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|---|