Morphological Features of Organelles during Apoptosis: An Overview

Abstract

An apoptotic program leading to controlled cell dismantling implies perturbations of nuclear dynamics, as well as changes affecting the organelle structure and distribution. In human cancer cells driven to apoptosis by different stimuli, we have recently investigated the morphological properties of several organelles, including mitochondria, lysosomes, endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. In this review, we will discuss the body of evidence in the literature suggesting that organelles are generally relocated and/or degraded during apoptosis, irrespectively of the apoptogenic stimulus and cell type.

Keywords

• apoptosis
• cytoskeleton
• endoplasmic reticulum
• Golgi apparatus
• lysosomes
• mitochondria