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apoptosis
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apoptosis Failure of DNA repair mechanismsDNA repair mechanisms maintain the integrity of DNA, which often acquires mutations during replication. If these mechanisms fail, or if the cell does not undergo apoptosis (a genetically encoded cell “suicide”), more mutations may occur, and the cells will proliferate. If the proliferation is slow and localized to the area in which it begins, the result is a benign tumour. With fast, uncontrolled growth and the invasion of other tissues, a malignant tumour arises.
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apoptosis
apoptosis Extrinsic and intrinsic factors of apoptosis.

apoptosis

cytology
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Also known as: programmed cell death, programmed death, programmed life termination
Written by
Paul H. Schlesinger
Associate professor of cell biology and physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo.
Paul H. Schlesinger
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Last Updated: • Article History
Also called:
programmed cell death
Key People:
H. Robert Horvitz
John Sulston
Sydney Brenner
Related Topics:
intrinsic pathway
extrinsic pathway
p53

apoptosis, in biology, a mechanism that allows cells to self-destruct when stimulated by the appropriate trigger. Apoptosis can be triggered by mild cellular injury and by various factors internal or external to the cell; the damaged cells are then disposed of in an orderly fashion. As a morphologically distinct form of programmed cell death, apoptosis is different from the other major process of cell death known as necrosis. Apoptosis involves condensation of the nucleus and cytoplasm, followed by cellular partitioning into well-defined fragments for disposal. In multicellular organisms, cell number normally results from the rate of cell production minus the ...(100 of 917 words)

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