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Overview of Cell Death

Overview of Cell Death

Cell death is an essential process where the body gets rid of old or damaged cells. Cell proliferation and death need to be balanced, as an imbalance between the two may lead to cancer or autoimmune diseases.
Cell death was observed in the early 19th century, but there was no experimental evidence to prove it. In 1842, Carl Vogt first discovered cell death in a metamorphic toad; however, it was not termed ‘cell death.’ Scientists discovered different cell death pathways only in the 20th century...

Autophagic Cell Death

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Christian de Duve discovered “autophagy,” a process in which cellular components are engulfed by membrane-bound organelles called autophagosomes. The autophagosomes then fuse with lysosomes to digest the enclosed contents. Autophagy is generally activated in cells to prevent cell death. However, cell death is triggered when the damage is beyond repair.
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Cellular Injury IlI: Cellular Death

Cellular Injury IlI: Cellular Death

Cell death is the irreversible loss of cellular structure and function, representing the final stage of severe injury. It plays a key role in both normal physiology and disease.Types of Cell DeathThe two main types are necrosis and apoptosis, though others like necroptosis and pyroptosis also exist.Necrosis:Necrosis is an unregulated form of cell death caused by severe injury such as trauma, toxins, or ischemia. It is characterized by cell swelling, membrane loss, rupture, and leakage of...

Necrosis

Necrosis

Necrosis is considered as an “accidental” or unexpected form of cell death that ends in cell lysis. The first noticeable mention of “necrosis” was in 1859 when Rudolf Virchow used this term to describe advanced tissue breakdown in his compilation titled “Cell Pathology”.
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Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy

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Cells respond to damage and stress through highly coordinated processes that decide whether they survive or undergo controlled self-destruction. Two major pathways involved in this regulation are apoptosis, a type of programmed cell death, and autophagy, a survival mechanism that helps cells adapt to adverse conditions.ApoptosisApoptosis removes aged or injured cells to maintain tissue balance. During this process, the cell shrinks, chromatin condenses and fragments, and membrane-bound...

Apoptosis

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Apoptosis is a combination of two Greek words, 'apo' and 'ptosis,' meaning separation and falling off, respectively. Hippocrates used this word to describe gangrene, which was caused due to bandaging of fractured bones. Apoptosis was distinguished from necrosis in 1970 when John Kerr reported observations of morphological changes occurring during apoptosis. During one experiment, he observed that the disruption of blood supply to the liver tissue resulted in a size reduction of the tissue.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2026

A β-glucuronidase (GUS) Based Cell Death Assay

A β-glucuronidase (GUS) Based Cell Death Assay

Published on: May 6, 2011

Programmed cell death in Giardia.

Susmita Bagchi¹, Abraham E Oniku, Kate Topping

¹Davis Hall, Lehman College, CUNY, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY10468, USA.

|March 13, 2012

Summary

Giardia exhibits unique programmed cell death (PCD) pathways. While lacking classical apoptosis genes, it shows autophagic changes and stress-induced morphological alterations, suggesting an early PCD form.

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Last Updated: May 24, 2026

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Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Eukaryotic Microbiology
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

Programmed cell death (PCD) is crucial in eukaryotes, but pathways are poorly understood in unicellular organisms.
Giardia, an early-divergent amitochondrial eukaryote, has recently been implicated in PCD.
Investigating PCD in Giardia offers insights into early eukaryotic cell death mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the mechanisms of programmed cell death (PCD) in Giardia.
To identify genes associated with PCD, apoptosis, and autophagy in Giardia genomes.
To characterize Giardia's cellular responses to stress and starvation.

Main Methods:

Bioinformatic survey of Giardia genomes for PCD-related genes.
Induction of morphological changes using oxidative stress (H2O2) and metronidazole.
Detection of caspase activity and autophagic changes (MDC staining).

Main Results:

No genes associated with classical apoptotic-like PCD were identified in Giardia genomes.
Apoptotic-like morphological changes were induced by H2O2 and metronidazole, without caspase activity.
Starvation induced autophagy-like changes, with key autophagy genes (TOR, ATG1, ATG16) identified.

Conclusions:

Giardia possesses a unique form of apoptosis distinct from classical mechanisms.
Giardia exhibits an autophagic pathway, supported by identified genes.
These findings suggest Giardia may represent an early form of programmed cell death.