Press space to go to next slide- Intrinsic apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death in result of a large amount of DNA damage. The cell does this in order to prevent disorder or cancer from occurring. In this case, a normal cell is undergoing apoptosis as a result of a nearby natural killer leukocyte in order to stop the spread of certain viruses. This is an example of extrinsic apoptosis.
The cytokine TNF alpha signals the cell to do apoptosis by binding to TNF receptor protein(TNFR). Via its intracellular death domain, TRADD(TNFR associated death domain) is recruited. As a result, FADD(FAS associated death domain) is recruited to the complex. This complex actively activates pro - caspase-8 by cleaving its inhibitory "pro" domain. The now active caspase activates other caspase-8s, causing a caspase cascade. Caspases are special proteins that tear apart proteins and organelles. This causes destruction of the cell.
