Question:medium
The principal organelle involved in the execution of apoptosis is?
The principal organelle involved in the execution of apoptosis is?
Show Hint
Think of the intrinsic pathway and cytochrome c release.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Nucleus
- Lysosome
- Mitochondria
- Endoplasmic reticulum
Show Solution
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
To find the organelle that drives apoptosis, trace where the decision to die is integrated and where the lethal signal is launched. That convergence point is the mitochondrion.
Inside the cell, a tug of war between pro-apoptotic members such as Bax and Bak and survival proteins such as Bcl-2 determines the fate of the mitochondrial outer membrane. Once the pro-death side wins, the membrane becomes permeable and releases cytochrome c into the cytoplasm. This single event commits the cell, because cytochrome c assembles with APAF-1 into the apoptosome, switches on caspase-9, and unleashes the executioner caspases that dismantle the cell in an orderly fashion.
The other organelles play supporting or different roles. The nucleus shows the morphological end results such as chromatin condensation but does not control the trigger. Lysosomes are central to autophagy and necrosis-linked pathways, and the endoplasmic reticulum mainly senses stress and calcium imbalance that feed into the mitochondrial route. The hub that executes the programme is the mitochondrion.
\[\boxed{\text{Mitochondria}}\]
Inside the cell, a tug of war between pro-apoptotic members such as Bax and Bak and survival proteins such as Bcl-2 determines the fate of the mitochondrial outer membrane. Once the pro-death side wins, the membrane becomes permeable and releases cytochrome c into the cytoplasm. This single event commits the cell, because cytochrome c assembles with APAF-1 into the apoptosome, switches on caspase-9, and unleashes the executioner caspases that dismantle the cell in an orderly fashion.
The other organelles play supporting or different roles. The nucleus shows the morphological end results such as chromatin condensation but does not control the trigger. Lysosomes are central to autophagy and necrosis-linked pathways, and the endoplasmic reticulum mainly senses stress and calcium imbalance that feed into the mitochondrial route. The hub that executes the programme is the mitochondrion.
\[\boxed{\text{Mitochondria}}\]
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