Apoptosis–Programmed Cell death Cells die in response to a variety of stimuli and during apoptosis they do so in a controlled, regulated fashion. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a normal component of the development and health of multicellular organisms.
Cells die in response to a variety of stimuli and during apoptosis they do so in a controlled, regulated fashion.
Cells, organs, and plants genetically programmed to die on a schedule to not simply shut down cellular machinery and await death. Rather, the onset of programmed cell death, called apoptosis, is a very busy time in a cell's life, requiring new gene expression. During apoptosis, newly formed enzymes break down many chemical components, including chlorophyll, DNA, RNA, proteins, and membrane lipids. Like other living organisms plants also grow, old and their life is ultimately terminated by death. As the young plant grows, it undergoes aging and develops into mature plant in an orderly fashion.
The later part of the developmental process which ultimately leads to death is called senescence. Senescence may be defined as 'the period between reproductive maturity and death of a plant or a part of it'. It is characterized by a collective, progressive and deteriorative developmental process which ultimately leads to complete loss of organization and function of the plant or parts of it. The study of plant senescence is called phytogerontology.