Programmed cell death, also known as apoptosis, is a process by which cells self-destruct to maintain homeostasis and development in animals and plants. It can have negative effects if triggered by viruses or not occurring properly, such as in cancer or HIV/AIDS. It is responsible for the development of individual fingers and toes in humans and the shedding of excess materials during animal development.
Programmed cell death is the process by which plant and animal cells die by self-destruction, rather than from injury. Also referred to in animal cells as apoptosis, the process is typically part of the embryonic development of all animals and is thought to be responsible for the development of individual toes and the shedding of excess materials at various stages of animal development. It is also an element of the immune system in animals and the process by which excess or defective cells in the body are eliminated to maintain homeostasis and health. Programmed cell death can also have a negative effect on an animal or human body if triggered by viruses.
Studied and documented during the second half of the 20th century, programmed cell death is responsible for how various animals and plants develop and grow. Plants and animals typically grow through the division and replication of cells in the organism. In order to adequately compensate for this process, however, programmed cell death occurs to prevent the plant or animal body from growing at too high a rate.
The process is quite complicated, but basically a cell is given a signal from inside or outside the cell to start breaking down. These pieces are then later marked to be ‘eaten’ by phagocytes in the body. This prevents any harmful material or coding within the cell from affecting the rest of the body’s cells.
Programmed cell death is thought to be a particularly important part of the growth and development of animals in the early life and embryonic stage. For example, evidence indicates that the early development of fingers and toes in a human fetus is due to apoptosis of cells that would exist between the fingers but die, leaving the remaining cells to form individual fingers. Similarly, the reincorporation of a tadpole’s tail into its body when it becomes a frog is due to cell death, rather than the continued division and growth of those tail cells.
Unfortunately, programmed cell death can be hampered by some viruses and other adverse physiological conditions. The spread of cancer throughout an animal’s body is typically due to apoptosis not occurring properly in the body of the organism. Under ideal conditions, cancer cells should be ordered to die by proteins in the body, preventing those cancer cells from dividing and spreading.
Programmed cell death does not occur properly, however, in many cancer cases, leading to the spread of potentially deadly cells throughout the body. Similarly, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) uses negatively programmed cell death by causing the self-destruction of helper T cells which typically fight viruses and other infections in the human body. This condition, called acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), effectively destroys the body’s immune system, which often leads to complications or death from other diseases.
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