Table 1.
Main morphological, biochemical, and inflammatory/immunological features of apoptosis, necrosis, and mitotic catastrophe.
| Morphological features | Biochemical features | Inflammatory/immune features | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apoptosis | Rounding-up | Caspase activation | Generation of soluble find-me signals (ATP, LPC) |
| Pseudopode retraction | MMP/LMP | Uptake via tight-fitting phagosomes | |
| Cytoplasmic pyknosis | Δψm dissipation | Often anti-inflammatory and silent/tolerogenic | |
| Chromatin condensation | Release of IMS proteins | In some instances, eliciting an immune | |
| Karyorrhexis | PS exposure | response that depends on CRT exposure | |
| Little alterations of organelles | Internucleosomal DNA cleavage | ||
| PM blebbing | ROS overgeneration | ||
| Apoptotic bodies | ATP depletion | ||
| Phagocytosis | Activation of calpains/cathepsins | ||
| Necrosis | Increasingly translucent | RIP1/RIP3 activation | Uptake by macrophages |
| cytoplasm | Increased glutamino- and glycogenolysis | via micropinocytosis | |
| Swollen organelles | ROS overgeneration | Most often, pro-inflammatory | |
| Dilatation of the nuclear | Sphingosine and ceramide | In some cases, anti-inflammatory | |
| membrane | overproduction | ||
| Chromatin condensation | MMP/LMP | ||
| in small irregular patches | Cytosolic Ca2+ waves | ||
| Absent karyorrhexis | Activation of calpains/cathepsins | ||
| Oncosis | cPLA2 activation | ||
| PM breakdown | PARP1 hyperactivation | ||
| ANT inhibition | |||
| ATP and NAD + depletion | |||
| Impaired LIP homeostasis | |||
| Sometimes, PS exposure | |||
| Mitotic catastrophe | Micronucleation | Activation of caspase-2 | Poorly determined |
| Multinucleation | Prolonged SAC signaling | Most likely, dependent on the executioner | |
| Apoptotic and/or necrotic | TP53 activation | mechanism engaged (i.e., apoptosis, | |
| Features | Aberrant levels of cyclin B1 and | necrosis or senescence) | |
| signaling via CDK1 |
Abbreviations: ANT, adenine nucleotide translocase; CDK1, cyclin-dependent kinase 1; cPLA2, cytosolic phospholipase A2; CRT, calreticulin;Δψm, mitochondrial transmembrane potential; IMS, mitochondrial intermembrane space; LIP, labile iron pool; LMP, lysosomal membrane permeabilization; LPC, lysophosphatidylcholine MMP, mitochondrial membrane permeabilization; PARP1, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1; PM, plasma membrane; RIP, receptor-interacting protein kinase; ROS, reactive oxygen species; SAC, spindle-assembly checkpoint.