Apoptosis involves all but which of the following?

a. fragmentation of the DNA

b. cell-signaling pathways

c. lysis of the cell

d. digestion of cellular contents by scavenger cells

Apoptosis does not involve:

c. lysis of the cell

Explanation:

Apoptosis is a programmed cell death that occurs under normal physiological conditions and in a controlled manner. Normally seen in cell turnover, embryogenesis, also involved in processes of immune, nervous and endocrine systems.

The main morphological and biochemical changes seen during the apoptosis are the fragmentation of DNA by endonucleases, nuclear, chromatin and cytoplasmatic condensation, apoptotic bodies formation (membrane bound-vesicles form of cell parts) and the phagocytosis (digestion) of those bodies by the scavenger cells.

Apoptosis is regulated by cell - signaling pathways, the caspases, a family of cysteine proteases, are the ones involved in the process.

In the process there is no lysis of the cell as this could lead to a inflammatory response (just happens in necrosis) which would affect contiguous cells, and will involve immune cells. In apoptosis there is just a membrane blebbing, but it does not loss its integrity.