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apoptosis
(ap″op-to´sis)
(ap″o-to´sis)
a morphologic pattern of cell death affecting single cells, marked by shrinkage of the cell, condensation of chromatin, formation
of cytoplasmic blebs, and fragmentation of the cell into membrane-bound bodies that are eliminated by phagocytosis. It is
a mechanism for cell deletion in the regulation of cell populations. Often used synonymously with programmed cell death.
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