Curtis Lambert

3/20/22

Word Count: 546

Scientific Literacy Background Essay Part One

               Cells play an irreplaceable role in the biological systems of living organisms. In complex organisms they are the components of all organs and living tissue; and as one would expect, carry out vital processes necessary for the proper functioning of the organism. Although their function is irreplaceable, sometimes the cells themselves need to be replaced. In addition to this, sometimes cells need to be “deleted” as a routine part of biological process or because they are no longer required for any significant biological process. When a cell needs to properly destroy itself, it must undergo a process known as apoptosis.

               Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a natural aspect of the cells that make up the body of many living organisms. It is utilized to remove cells that are no longer needed, like some of the cells that exist during the embryotic stage of human development. It also aids in the removal of cells that could be cancerous or cells that have been infected with a virus. In the article “Apoptosis: A Review of Programmed Cell Death” Elmore (2017) discusses how apoptosis can be triggered through a number of different ways, and not all cells respond the same way to identical stimuli. It can be triggered by the cell through internal pathways or through external stimuli to the cell. After getting the signal to undergo apoptosis, the first thing the cell does is shrink. Because of the shrinkage, the organelles within begin to get pushed closed to one another. With all of this, nuclear chromatin fragments begin to condense and become compact. It is at this stage that the dying cell begins budding, this describes the process of the plasma membrane blebbing, which then fragment into cell pieces called apoptotic bodies. These apoptotic bodies are comprised of cytoplasm with condensed organelles. Parenchymal cells, neoplastic cells or macrophages will ensure that the apoptotic bodies get phagocytosed. With the apoptotic bodies removed, the cell is effectively destroyed.

               During the process of apoptosis, the cell undergoes radical morphological alterations. A key component in the morphological structure of the cell is the cytoskeleton. The cytoskeleton maintains the structural integrity of the cell and has mechanical properties that aid the cell in other processes. An article titled (Microtubules and Filaments, 2014) from nature.com explains how the cytoskeleton consists of protein filaments. The protein tubulin makes up the microtubules; and the protein actin makes up the actin filaments. Microtubules are larger than actin filaments. Without these proteins the cytoskeleton would suffer significantly decreased function. In the research article titled “Defining the role of cytoskeletal components in the formation of apoptopodia and apoptotic bodies during apoptosis” by (Caruso et al., 2019) the researchers focus their attention on apoptosis. They further investigate the role of the cytoskeleton during the morphological changes in the cell that occur during apoptosis. They are specifically interested in gaining insights on the development of apoptopodia, which is membrane protrusion that resembles tiny balls strung along a thin piece of wire. The researchers in this article set up an experiment to discern if the cytoskeleton is involved with the formation of apoptopodia in any way. They do this by targeting actin and tubulin and observing if the membrane protrusion associated with apoptopodia formation will still occur in the dying cell.

Works Cited

Elmore, S. (2007). Apoptosis: A Review of Programmed Cell Death. Toxicologic Pathology, [online] 35(4), pp.495–516. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2117903/.

www.nature.com. (2014). Microtubules, Filaments | Learn Science at Scitable. [online] Available at: https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/microtubules-and-filaments-14052932/#:~:text=Microtubules%20are%20the%20largest%20type.

Caruso, S., Atkin-Smith, G.K., Baxter, A.A., Tixeira, R., Jiang, L., Ozkocak, D.C., Santavanond, J.P., Hulett, M.D., Lock, P., Phan, T.K. and Poon, I.K.H. (2019). Defining the role of cytoskeletal components in the formation of apoptopodia and apoptotic bodies during apoptosis. Apoptosis, 24(11-12), pp.862–877.