Noun: apoptosis
- A type of programmed cell death in which the cell uses specialized cellular machinery to kill itself; a cell suicide mechanism that enables metazoans to control cell number and eliminate cells that threaten the animal's survival
"Apoptosis plays a crucial role in embryonic development";
- programmed cell death, caspase-mediated cell death
Type of: cell death, necrobiosis
Encyclopedia: Apoptosis