A programmed cell death process which begins when a cell receives an internal (e.g. DNA damage) or external signal (e.g. an extracellular death ligand), and proceeds through a series of biochemical events (signaling pathway phase) which trigger an execution phase. The execution phase is the last step of an apoptotic process, and is typically characterized by rounding-up of the cell, retraction of pseudopodes, reduction of cellular volume (pyknosis), chromatin condensation, nuclear fragmentation (karyorrhexis), plasma membrane blebbing and fragmentation of the cell into apoptotic bodies. When the execution phase is completed, the cell has died.

apoptotic cell death, programmed cell death by apoptosis, apoptotic programmed cell death

GO:0006917, GO:0008632

cellular suicide, cell suicide

apoptosis signaling, apoptosis, type I programmed cell death, apoptotic program, activation of apoptosis

biological_process

caspase-dependent programmed cell death, commitment to apoptosis, signaling (initiator) caspase activity, induction of apoptosis by p53, induction of apoptosis, apoptosis activator activity

GO:0006915

http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/go.owl, http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/cl.owl

http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/NCBITaxon_4896, http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/NCBITaxon_2

• execution phase of apoptosis
• apoptotic signaling pathway