|
| Cell death phenotype | Morphology | Common biochemical markers |
|
| Apoptosis | (i) Decreased cellular volume (pyknosis)
(ii) Rounding-up of cell | (i) Loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) |
| (iii) Intact plasma membrane blebbing | (ii) Cysteine protease activation |
| (iv) Chromatin condensation | (iii) Phosphatidylserine externalization |
| (v) Nuclear fragmentation | (iv) Oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation |
| (vi) Apoptotic body formation | (v) Exclusion of cell-impermeable vital dyes in early stages |
| (vii) Minor changes in cytoplasmic organelles | (vi) Increase in reactive oxidants |
|
| Autophagy | (i) Cytoplasmic vacuolization | (i) Starvation response |
| (ii) Autophagic vesicles with double membranes | (ii) Induction of membrane rearrangement genes (e.g. ATG1 and ATG8) to form autophagosomes |
| (iii) No chromatin condensation | (iii) Caspase 8 involvement |
|
| Necrosis | (i) Increased cellular volume (oncosis) | (i) Nonspecific DNA degradation |
| (ii) Loss of integrity and rupture of plasma membrane | (ii) Inclusion of cell-impermeable vital dyes |
| (iii) Swelling of cytoplasmic organelles | (iii) Loss of ΔΨm |
|
