Apoptosis is a controlled process in which the cell 's structural components are destroyed , resulting in death of the cell . Changes associated with apoptosis directly affect the nucleus and its contents , for example , in the condensation of chromatin and the disintegration of the nuclear envelope and lamina . The destruction of the lamin networks is controlled by specialized apoptotic proteases called caspases , which cleave the lamin proteins and , thus , degrade the nucleus ' structural integrity . Lamin cleavage is sometimes used as a laboratory indicator of caspase activity in assays for early apoptotic activity . Cells that express mutant caspase @-@ resistant lamins are deficient in nuclear changes related to apoptosis , suggesting that lamins play a role in initiating the events that lead to apoptotic degradation of the nucleus . Inhibition of lamin assembly itself is an inducer of apoptosis .