Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 28, 2025

05:14
Author Spotlight: Flow Cytometric Determination of Pyroptosis in Avian Cells
Published on: May 31, 2024
1.3K
Pyroptosis and Its Role in the Modulation of Cancer Progression and Antitumor Immunity
Sihan Qi1,2, Qilin Wang1,2, Junyou Zhang1,2
1School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|September 23, 2022
Summary
Pyroptosis, a programmed cell death, is crucial in cancer initiation, progression, and immunotherapy. Understanding pyroptosis pathways and mechanisms offers new therapeutic targets for cancer treatment.
Area of Science:
- Cellular Biology
- Immunology
- Oncology
Background:
- Pyroptosis is a pro-inflammatory programmed cell death (PCD) characterized by membrane rupture.
- It involves canonical (caspase-1 dependent) and non-canonical (caspase-1 independent) pathways.
- Emerging research highlights pyroptosis's role in cancer development, progression, metastasis, and immunotherapy response.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the discovery and signaling pathways of pyroptosis.
- To compare pyroptosis with other forms of PCD.
- To provide an overview of pyroptosis's involvement in various cancer types.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of pyroptosis research.
- Analysis of canonical and non-canonical pyroptosis signaling cascades.
- Synthesis of current understanding of pyroptosis in oncology.
Main Results:
- Pyroptosis is a significant mediator in cancer biology, influencing tumor initiation, growth, and spread.
- It impacts anti-cancer immunity by modulating immune cell infiltration.
- Dysregulation of pyroptosis is implicated in diverse cancer pathologies.
Conclusions:
- Elucidating pyroptosis mechanisms in cancer is critical for advancing therapeutic strategies.
- Pyroptosis represents a promising target for novel cancer treatments.
- Further research into pyroptosis pathways may unlock new avenues for cancer immunotherapy.
Related Concept Videos
Tumor Immunotherapy
643
Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.
643
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway
6.7K
Internal cellular stress, such as cellular injury or hypoxia, triggers intrinsic apoptosis. The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins are the primary regulators of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. For example, during DNA damage, checkpoint proteins, such as Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM protein) and Checkpoints Factor-2 (Chk2) proteins, are activated. These proteins phosphorylate p53 which further activates pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax, Bak, PUMA, and Noxa, and inhibits...
6.7K
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
3.9K
The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
The mTOR pathway or the...
3.9K
The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway
6.5K
The extrinsic apoptotic pathway is initiated when extracellular death-inducing signals, such as specific cytokines, activate the death receptors expressed on the cell surface. The immune cells involved in this pathway are natural killer cells (NK cells) and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. NK cells are critical in innate immune response, while cytotoxic T-lymphocytes are associated with adaptive immune response. These cells recognize specific receptors expressed on the altered cells and activate...
6.5K
Abnormal Proliferation
4.6K
Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the...
4.6K
Apoptosis
11.8K
Apoptosis is a combination of two Greek words, 'apo' and 'ptosis,' meaning separation and falling off, respectively. Hippocrates used this word to describe gangrene, which was caused due to bandaging of fractured bones. Apoptosis was distinguished from necrosis in 1970 when John Kerr reported observations of morphological changes occurring during apoptosis. During one experiment, he observed that the disruption of blood supply to the liver tissue resulted in a size...
11.8K

