Cellular Integrity
The plasma membrane (lipid bilayer) is the part of the cell that regulates the entry and exit of certain molecules. If the integrity of the membrane is lost, certain things that should not be getting in get in, and certain things that should not leave are leaking out. A membrane that has lost integrity no longer can withstand the osmotic forces and it must be degraded. Apoptosis is the process of cell suicide, the instructions for the process are coded in the DNA of the individual cell.[1]