Sub-lethal damage
5221389
209145902
2008-04-30T02:11:31Z
Wavelength
271168
wikifying 2 expressions: [[ultrastructure|ultrastructurally]] & [[cytoplasm]]
{{context}}
{{Orphan|date=November 2006}}
If damage to a cell is minimal, the cell can recover following removal of the damaging stimulus. Damaged [[protein]]s and [[organelle]]s are removed by a cell stress response and [[autophagy]] with new structural components being synthesized. This is termed '''sub-lethal cell damage''' and is associated with recognizable structural changes.
Sub-lethal damage can be identified from microscopic changes in affected cells. The first evidence of such damage is seen [[ultrastructure|ultrastructurally]] as '''swelling of the membrane bound organelles''', particularly the [[endoplasmic reticulum]] and the [[mitochondrion|mitochondria]]. There is:
* Loss of some [[ribosomes]]
* The mitochondria appear swollen
** The [[vacuole]]s push the [[crista]]e apart
** Accumulation of [[electrolyte]]s and water occurs
** There is damage to [[enzyme]]s of the membrane sodium pump
If [[adenosine triphosphate|ATP]] production is insufficient to maintain function, '''lethal function''' is marked by disintegration of other organelles and [[autolysis (biology)|autolysis]] proceeds.
Microscopically, these reversible changes caused by swelling of the organelles is reflected in cellular ''swelling'', ''paleness'' of [[cytoplasm]] and development of small intracellular vacuoles, giving rise to the widely used descriptive terms '''cloudy swelling''' and '''hydrophobic degeneration'''.
[[Category:Cell biology]]