APOPTOSIS, PROGRAMMED CELL DEATH
#Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a highly regulated process that eliminates cells with critical damage that could not be repaired.
Once apoptosis is activated by either immune cells or the protein p53, the damaged cell shrinks and generates apoptotic cell debris, known as apoptotic bodies. These apoptotic bodies are phagocytized by tissue-resident macrophages to prevent an immune response from being triggered.
- Apoptosis is crucial for cancer prevention because it eliminates cells with potentially dangerous mutations and damaged DNA before they can become cancerous.
- The ability to evade apoptosis is a fundamental characteristic of cancer, allowing abnormal cells to survive and grow into tumors.
- Cancer cells often develop resistance to apoptosis, which contributes to treatment failure and disease relapse.
Credit video: sciencestanding