The intrinsic pathway of apoptosis is triggered by intracellular stress signals like DNA damage or lack of growth factors. The Bcl-2 family of proteins regulate mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization which leads to the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria. Cytochrome c binds to Apaf-1 and procaspase-9 to form the apoptosome, activating caspase-9 and the downstream caspase-3, resulting in apoptosis. This pathway does not require death receptors and is instead initiated by internal damage signals within the cell.