The process of programmed gene-directed cell death characterized by cell shrinkage, nuclear condensation and fragmentation is known as

Apoptosis is a pathway of cell death in which cells activate enzymes that degrade the cells' own nuclear DNA and nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins. Fragments of the apoptotic cells then break off, giving the appearance that is responsible for the name (apoptosis, "falling off"). The plasma membrane of the apoptotic cell remains intact, but the membrane is altered in such a way that the cell and its fragments become avid targets for phagocytes. The dead cell and its fragments are rapidly cleared before cellular contents have leaked out, so apoptotic cell death does not elicit an inflammatory reaction in the host.( Robbins Basic Pathology, 9th edition, page 18 )