Apoptosis

Abstract

Apoptosis is now acknowledged as a fundamentally important process that plays an essential role in embryogenesis and in the maintenance and functionality of the highly ordered cell populations that constitute higher organisms. In this article, we describe the biochemical basis of apoptosis, the morphological changes that accompany it, and some of the techniques that have been used to identify apoptotic cells. This is followed by a general discussion of the regulation and induction of apoptosis. We then describe studies that have investigated this phenomenon from a biotechnological perspective. Particular reference is made to the conditions that elicit an apoptotic response, the cell lines that are susceptible, and the cellular engineering approaches to enhance cell survival and productivity in the bioreactor environment.