Programmed cell death (PCD), a topic of abiding interest, remodels plants at the cell, tissue, and organ levels and involves various developmental processes in plants, such as leaf morphogenesis, lysigenous aerenchyma formation, tracheary element differentiation and formation of secretory structures.Plant secretory structures are important structural and chemical defense systems for plants protecting themselves against herbivores, pathogenic microbes, parasites and mechanical wounding.In previous research, we detected lysigenous formation of pigment glands in Gossypium hirsutum leaves and laticiferous canals in fruits of Decaisnea fargesii, confirming that these are typical PCD phenomena.During the developmental stages of gland formation, several morphological hallmarks, such as cell wall degradation, condensed chromatin and cytoplasm, broken nuclei and membrane-bound autophagosomes, are also detected from cytological point of role, indicating on-going autophagy and autolysis.In contrast to lysigenous formation of secretory structures, several cases of cell degeneration involved in PCD without cell wall breakdown have been reported in other types of secretory structures such as nectaries of Glycine max, Arabidopsis thaliana and Digita/is purpurea, glandular hair of Tillandsia as well as the mucilage cells of Araucaria angustifoliain.The PCD's role in these types of secretory structures suggests that PCD may play important roles in gland development of plants.