Cells that are infected, damaged, or have reached the end of their functional life span often undergo "programmed cell death." this controlled cell suicide is called apoptosis. select the appropriate description of this event on a cell's life cycle. cells that are infected, damaged, or have reached the end of their functional life span often undergo "programmed cell death." this controlled cell suicide is called apoptosis. select the appropriate description of this event on a cell's life cycle. each cell organelle has protein signals that initiate the breakdown of the organelle's components which leads to cell death. during apoptosis, dying cells leak out their contents including digestive enzymes that also destroy healthy cells. apoptosis is regulated by cell surface receptors that signal when a cell has reached its density-dependent limits. during apoptosis, cellular agents chop up the dna