A new study has revealed that cells which appear to be going through Pyroptosis, cell death, has the power to reverse the process and continue on living. The revelation is helping scientists understand the nature of cell death, hoping to use this knowledge, in part, to effectively trigger cancer cell death in targeted ways.
A new study reveals that cells may be able to back out of self-destruction
From www.popsci.com
2022-01-16 08:00:00
Shi En Kim
Excerpt:
Cells can die in many ways, but one fate is particularly grisly. Pyroptosis occurs when a cell dies by detonating, typically in response to an infection. In a fiery swan song, a pyroptotic cell sacrifices itself to flood surviving compatriots with its last supply of danger-signaling chemicals called cytokines. The cell’s death is quick and messy, but it’s for the greater good.
“It happens quite abruptly,” says Gary Mo, a bioengineer at the University of Illinois, Chicago. “The cells will literally pop.”
Scientists had previously thought that pyroptosis is a one-way street—once set in motion, the decision can’t be reversed. In a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications, Mo and his team found that a cell has an inbuilt mechanism to revoke pyroptosis, allowing it to die another day. The insights from the discoveries could clue researchers in on how pyroptosis can be regulated, be it to kill off cancer cells in a patient, or to…
