Cell Function
autolysis
au·tol·y·sis
Subclass of:
Postmortem Changes
Definitions related to autolysis:
  • A programmed cell death process observed in bacteria and filamentous fungi and leading to spontaneous death by lysis. Examples are lysis of the mother cell during sporulation of Bacillus subtilis and self-degradation of fungal cells in Aspergillus nidulans. Autolysis is also involved in bacterial biofilm formation.
    Gene Ontology Dictionary
    Gene Ontology Consortium, 2021
  • Post-mortem degradation of cells and tissues.
    CDISC Terminology
    Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC), 2021
  • The destruction of organism cells or tissues by the organism's own enzymes or processes.
    NCI
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • The spontaneous disintegration of tissues or cells by the action of their own autogenous enzymes.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • (cell autolysis) Disintegration of cells by the action of their own autogenous enzymes or destruction of cells of the body by its own serum.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
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This content should not be used in place of medically-reviewed decision support reference material or professional medical advice. Some terms may have alternate or updated definitions not reflected in this set. The definitions on this page should not be considered complete or up to date.