necrotic cell death

A type of cell death that is morphologically characterized by an increasingly translucent cytoplasm, swelling of organelles, minor ultrastructural modifications of the nucleus (specifically, dilatation of the nuclear membrane and condensation of chromatin into small, irregular, circumscribed patches) and increased cell volume (oncosis), culminating in the disruption of the plasma membrane and subsequent loss of intracellular contents. Necrotic cells do not fragment into discrete corpses as their apoptotic counterparts do. Moreover, their nuclei remain intact and can aggregate and accumulate in necrotic tissues.

• Code: GO:0070265
• Source: Gene Ontology
• Alternative labels: cellular necrosis necrosis