1: Ultrastruct Pathol.  2001 May-Jun;25(3):183-92.  

Ultrastructural  aspects of autoschizis: a new cancer cell death induced by the
synergistic action of ascorbate/menadione on human bladder carcinoma cells.

Gilloteaux J, Jamison JM, Arnold D, Taper HS, Summers JL.

Department of Anatomy, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Pennsylvania
16509-1025, USA. jgilloteaux@lecom.edu

Scanning and transmission electron microscopy were employed to further
characterize the cytotoxic effects of a ascorbic acid/menadione (or vitamin
C/vitamin K3) combination on a human bladder carcinoma T24 cell line. Following
1-h treatment T24 cells display membrane and mitochondrial defects as well as
excision of cytoplasmic fragments that contain no organelles. These continuous
self-excisions reduce the cell size. Concomitant, nuclear changes, chromatin
disassembly, nucleolar condensation and fragmentation, and decreased nuclear
volume lead to cell death via a process similar to karyorrhexis and karyolysis.
Because this cell death is achieved through a progressive loss of cytoplasm due
to self-morsellation, the authors named this mode of cell death autoschizis
(from the Greek autos, self, and schizein, to split, as defined in Scanning.
1998; 20: 564-575). This morphological characterization of autoschizic cell
death confirms and extends the authors previous reports and demonstrates that
this cell death is distinct from apoptosis.

PMID: 11465474 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]