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Related Concept Videos

Overview of Cell Death01:30

Overview of Cell Death

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Cell death is an essential process where the body gets rid of old or damaged cells. Cell proliferation and death need to be balanced, as an imbalance between the two may lead to cancer or autoimmune diseases.
Cell death was observed in the early 19th century, but there was no experimental evidence to prove it. In 1842, Carl Vogt first discovered cell death in a metamorphic toad; however, it was not termed ‘cell death.’ Scientists discovered different cell death pathways only in the...
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Necrosis01:16

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Necrosis is considered as an “accidental” or unexpected form of cell death that ends in cell lysis. The first noticeable mention of “necrosis” was in 1859 when Rudolf Virchow used this term to describe advanced tissue breakdown in his compilation titled “Cell Pathology”.
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Apoptosis01:30

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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...
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Autophagic Cell Death01:18

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Christian de Duve discovered “autophagy,” a process in which cellular components are engulfed by membrane-bound organelles called autophagosomes. The autophagosomes then fuse with lysosomes to digest the enclosed contents. Autophagy is generally activated in cells to prevent cell death. However, cell death is triggered when the damage is beyond repair.
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Caspase, a family of cysteine proteases, serve as effectors in apoptosis. The ced3 gene in C.elegans was first identified to be involved in apoptosis. This gene encodes the ced-3 caspase that is similar to the interleukin-1-beta converting enzyme or ICE in mammals. In addition to apoptosis, caspases also function in the inflammatory response. Inflammatory caspases are essential in activating pro-inflammatory cytokines that recruit immune cells and block the replication of pathogens inside...
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Mitogens and their receptors play a crucial role in controlling the progression of the cell cycle. However, the loss of mitogenic control over cell division leads to tumor formation. Therefore, mitogens and mitogen receptors play an important role in cancer research. For instance, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) - a type of mitogen and its transmembrane receptor (EGFR), decides the fate of the cell's proliferation. When EGF binds to EGFR, a member of the ErbB family of tyrosine kinase...
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Author Spotlight: THP-1 Macrophage Response to LPS/ATP &#8212; Unveiling the Pyroptosis, Apoptosis, and Necroptosis Spectrum
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Programmed Cell Death in Unicellular Versus Multicellular Organisms.

Madhura Kulkarni1, J Marie Hardwick1,2

  • 1W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; email: mkulkar5@jhmi.edu, hardwick@jhu.edu.

Annual Review of Genetics
|September 18, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Programmed cell death, or self-induced cell death, is found in all life. Recent studies reveal ancient microbial death mechanisms in bacteria and fungi, offering new insights into animal cell death and immunity.

Keywords:
cell deathmicrobesmicroorganism cell deathmicroorganismsprogrammed cell deathregulated cell death

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Microbiology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Programmed cell death (PCD) is fundamental to all life forms, including unicellular organisms.
  • Research has historically concentrated on animal models for understanding diseases and development.
  • Recent discoveries highlight ancient PCD mechanisms in bacteria and fungi, linked to immunity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the historical development of PCD research, primarily from animal studies.
  • To compare and contrast newly identified microbial cell death mechanisms with those in mammals.
  • To underscore the understudied nature of PCD in human pathogenic microbes.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of programmed cell death research.
  • Comparative analysis of mammalian, bacterial, and fungal cell death pathways.
  • Discussion of evolutionary origins and immune system connections.

Main Results:

  • Over 100 microbial cell death mechanisms identified in bacteria and fungi, contrasting with ~20 in mammals.
  • Microbial PCD pathways show ancient origins and are intertwined with immune responses.
  • Significant gaps exist in understanding PCD in major human pathogenic microbes.

Conclusions:

  • PCD research has evolved from a focus on animals to include microorganisms.
  • Understanding microbial PCD is crucial for addressing public health challenges posed by pathogens.
  • Comparative studies reveal conserved and divergent aspects of cell death across domains of life.