What term refers to self-destruction of cells?

What term refers to self-destruction of cells?

• A. Autolysis
• B. Osmosis
• C. Fermentation
• D. Catalysis

Answer: (A)

Self-digestion of cells happens when the cell’s own lysosomal enzymes break down its own components, leading to rupture and death. This enzymatic self-destruction is called autolysis. It’s driven by the cell’s internal machinery, unlike others that are about how substances move or react. Osmosis is just water movement across a membrane; fermentation is an anaerobic way to harvest energy; catalysis means speeding up a chemical reaction without implying self-destruction. The defining idea is that autolysis is destruction caused by the cell’s own enzymes.

Self-digestion of cells happens when the cell’s own lysosomal enzymes break down its own components, leading to rupture and death. This enzymatic self-destruction is called autolysis. It’s driven by the cell’s internal machinery, unlike others that are about how substances move or react. Osmosis is just water movement across a membrane; fermentation is an anaerobic way to harvest energy; catalysis means speeding up a chemical reaction without implying self-destruction. The defining idea is that autolysis is destruction caused by the cell’s own enzymes.