 BNIP3 can induce classical apoptosis through cytochrome c and caspase activation in some cells, while in others, cells have undergone autophagic cell death, occurring in the absence of apaf-1, caspase-1 or caspase 3, and without cytochrome c release.However, it still remains unclear if cell death is from excess autophagy itself or another mechanism.Cell death through excessive autophagy has only been shown experimentally and not in mammalian "in vivo" models.