Final answer:
Cytochrome C is released from the mitochondria during mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP), which initiates the apoptotic process by activating caspases.
Step-by-step explanation:
During mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP), cytochrome C is allowed to escape from the mitochondria. Cytochrome C is a peripheral membrane protein only loosely attached to the cristal (inner) membrane. It exists in equilibrium between membrane-bound and unbound states, which allows it to exit the intermembrane space when MOMP occurs. As cytochrome C molecules exit, others disengage from the cristal membrane to join them in the cytosol. There, cytochrome C interacts with adaptor proteins to form a complex, initiating the apoptotic process by binding to and activating procaspases into caspases, proteolytic enzymes that mediate cell auto-digestion.