IMMUNOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death. It is used during early development to eliminate unwanted cells; for example, those between the fingers of a developing hand. In adults, apoptosis is used to rid the body of cells that have been damaged beyond repair. Apoptosis also plays a role in preventing cancer.

Detailed explanation-2: -Apoptosis is characterised by a series of typical morphological features, such as shrinkage of the cell, fragmentation into membrane-bound apoptotic bodies and rapid phagocytosis by neighbouring cells.

Detailed explanation-3: -Also called programmed cell death.

Detailed explanation-4: -Apoptosis is an active process characterized by cell shrinkage, nuclear and cytoplasmic condensation, chromatin fragmentation, and phagocytosis of the apoptotic cell.

Detailed explanation-5: -The two main pathways of apoptosis are extrinsic and intrinsic as well as a perforin/granzyme pathway. Each requires specific triggering signals to begin an energy-dependent cascade of molecular events.

Detailed explanation-6: -There are 4 stages of apoptosis: the initiation or stimulus for cell death, the active programmed cell death when the events become irreversible, phagocytosis of the dead cellular material, and inhibitory mechanisms of apoptosis.

Detailed explanation-7: -A type of programmed cell death is observed in multicellular organisms known as apoptosis. The cell reaches this stage as a result of biochemical changes occurring within it. Some of these changes are shrinking of cells, blebbing, chromosomal DNA fragmentation, chromatin condensation, global mRNA decay and so on.