Apoptosis
Programmed cell death essential for development and disease.
Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms. It is a highly regulated and controlled process that confers advantages during an organism's life cycle, such as the separation of fingers and toes in a developing human embryo. Defective apoptotic processes have been implicated in a wide variety of diseases, including cancer.
- term_coined_by
- John Kerr, Alastair Currie, Andrew Wyllie
Lore & Background
Following the publication of a paper describing the phenomenon, Kerr collaborated remotely with Alastair Currie and Andrew Wyllie, as Kerr was already based at the University of Queensland from 1966 onward.
Reader's Guide
Apoptosis is a fundamental biological process that removes unwanted or damaged cells in a controlled manner, preventing inflammation and maintaining tissue homeostasis. The average adult human loses 50 to 70 billion cells each day to apoptosis, while a child between 8 and 14 years old loses 20 to 30 billion cells daily. The process is initiated through either the intrinsic pathway (triggered by cell stress) or the extrinsic pathway (triggered by signals from other cells), both of which activate caspases that degrade proteins and kill the cell. Defects in apoptosis can lead to disease: excessive apoptosis causes atrophy, while insufficient apoptosis results in uncontrolled cell proliferation, such as cancer. The discovery of genes controlling apoptosis in the nematode C. Robert Horvitz, and John Sulston. The term 'apoptosis' comes from Greek, meaning 'falling off' of leaves from a tree, and was reintroduced for medical use by James Cormack.
Did You Know?
- The average adult human loses 50 to 70 billion cells each day to apoptosis.
- Apoptosis produces cell fragments called apoptotic bodies that phagocytes engulf and remove before cell contents can damage surrounding cells.
- The term 'apoptosis' was coined by John Kerr, Alastair Currie, and Andrew Wyllie in 1972, with James Cormack suggesting the Greek etymology.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Apoptosis?
Apoptosis is the programmed cell death pathway that operates within multicellular organisms, acting as a tightly controlled elimination mechanism rather than a chaotic one. It is the biological process that ensures cells die in an orderly, regulated fashion when their time has come.
What are Apoptosis's powers/role?
Apoptosis handles the sculpting of developing structures, such as carving the spaces between a human embryo's fingers and toes. It functions as a precision tool throughout an organism's life cycle, removing cells that are no longer needed or that could pose a threat.
How does Apoptosis's story end?
Apoptosis does not have a single narrative ending because it is an ongoing process running throughout an organism's entire life. However, when this pathway malfunctions or is bypassed, the consequences are severe—cancer being one of the most notable outcomes of cells evading this programmed death.
Who gave Apoptosis its name?
The term was coined by John Kerr, Alastair Currie, and Andrew Wyllie, who identified and described this distinct form of cell death. Their work established the vocabulary for what had previously been a less clearly defined biological phenomenon.
Why is Apoptosis important?
Apoptosis is indispensable for proper development and for maintaining health across an organism's life span. Without this regulated cell-death mechanism, anatomical structures would not form correctly and defective cells could accumulate, giving rise to a wide range of diseases.
More in Cellular Biology 1-23
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record