Plasma cell apoptosis - TEM

Transmission electron micrograph of 3 plasma cells undergoing apoptosis. The cell membranes are almost impossible to detect due to the amount of rough endoplasmic reticulum and vacuolar cell contents that have been extruded. This process leads to disruption of the cell membrane and dispersal of the cytoplasm. Three nuclei are in the early stages of the chromatin condensation that is typical of apoptosis and show typical swelling of the nuclear envelope.