A 30-Year-Old Woman Who Had Leukemia Was Treated with Bone

A 30-year-old woman who had leukemia was treated with bone marrow transplantation. She developed a skin rash that was interpreted as a sign of a graft-versus- host reaction. A skin biopsy was performed. In the epidermis, there were scattered dead epidermal cells that had rounded contours and pyknotic nuclei. This form of cell death is caused by

A) activation of caspases through receptor transmitted signals on the cell surface
B) inhibition of ATPase
C) inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation
D) activation of lysosomal enzymes
E) depletion of glycogen