Cell suicide for beginners

摘要

The ability to commit suicide Is a fundamental property of animal cells. This overview considers recent progress In understanding the nature of the suicide process and how It Is controlled. Cell death is an invariable part of animal development, and it often continues into adulthood. In a mature human, for example, millions of cells die every minute; we remain the same size only because, by an unknown mechanism, cell division exactly balances cell death. It seems peculiarly wasteful for so many cells to die, especially as most of them are perfectly healthy at the time of their demise. What purpose does this carnage serve?