Subsequent work however, has shown that apoptosis is a real process and it has several functions. Only a few of which are listed below. In normal development some cells must die. Cells that die go through apoptosis. We will discuss this in more detail when we discuss development.
Apoptosis helps get rid of cancerous cells in our body.
This will also be discussed later in the course. We will discuss this later in the course when we talk about the immune system, cancer and viral infections. Your text also talks about it on page 838. Our cells also contain genes that promote apoptosis and genes that inhibit apoptosis. Recently it has become apparent that abnormal apoptosis may be involved in many neurological diseases.