apoptosis and its consequences - (Oct/12/2006 )

Hi,

I am wondering what will happen to cell components if a cell undergoes apoptosis. by cell components, I mean DNA, RNA, and proteins. Do all these get degraded? I know that caspases will be activated. Are caspases released into the medium if in a cell culture? If so, will the released caspases cleave the proteins on the surface of living cells?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions! I would really appreciate it!

---

true apoptotic cells do not simply burst as necrotic cells but build apoptotic bodies which include the rest of the cell; however, cells in apoptosis are still able to become necrotic and may release cytoplasm; if some proteases are released by spontaneous necrosis, they will be diluted and attenuated in their proteolytic activity by proteins such as albumin and globulins of medium;

---

"attenuated" in its harmful effects on cell surface proteins, not attenuated in specific activity

---

DNA will be degraded. Proteins will be cleaved, an example being PARP, whose cleavage is often used as a marker for apoptosis.

---