Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Examination of Pyroptosis by Flow Cytometry
05:14

Examination of Pyroptosis by Flow Cytometry

Published on: May 31, 2024

Pyroptosis across species and its potential impact on host defense against zoonotic pathogens

Stella Ho1, Clare E Bryant1

  • 1Department of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ES, UK.

Cell Chemical Biology
|June 15, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Regulated cell death (RCD) is crucial for fighting infection but can worsen sepsis. This review explores how genes controlling RCD, particularly pyroptosis, differ across species and impact host defense mechanisms.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Regulated cell death (RCD) is a key component of host defense against pathogens.
  • Dysregulated RCD contributes to the pathology observed in sepsis.
  • Understanding RCD mechanisms is vital for developing therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current knowledge of genes involved in RCD, with a specific emphasis on pyroptosis.
  • To compare RCD and pyroptosis mechanisms across different species.
  • To explore the implications of genetic diversity in RCD for host-pathogen interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on RCD and pyroptosis.
  • Comparative analysis of genes regulating RCD across various species.
  • Discussion of the functional consequences of genetic variations in RCD pathways.

Main Results:

  • While RCD and pyroptosis are understood in mammals, their mechanisms in other species are less clear.
  • Significant genetic diversity exists in RCD-regulating genes across the animal kingdom.
  • This diversity can influence the host's ability to respond to infectious agents.

Conclusions:

  • Genetic variations in RCD pathways, especially pyroptosis, represent an important area for future research.
  • Understanding species-specific RCD mechanisms can provide insights into host-pathogen dynamics.
  • Further investigation is needed to fully elucidate the role of genetic diversity in RCD during infection.

More Related Videos

Application of I TASSER, trRosetta, UCSF Chimera, HADDOCK server, and HEX loria for De Novo and In Silico Design of Proteins05:08

Application of I TASSER, trRosetta, UCSF Chimera, HADDOCK server, and HEX loria for De Novo and In Silico Design of Proteins

Published on: July 8, 2025

Related Concept Videos

Toxoplasmosis01:28

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
Diversity of Protists II01:27

Diversity of Protists II

Alveolates are a group of organisms recognized by the presence of alveoli, which are cytoplasmic sacs located beneath the cell membrane. While their function remains uncertain, alveoli may help regulate water balance by controlling how much water enters and leaves the cell. In dinoflagellates, these structures may serve as armor plates. There are three major types of alveolates: ciliates, which move using cilia; dinoflagellates, which use flagella for movement; and apicomplexans, which are...
Rabies01:28

Rabies

Rabies is a lethal zoonotic disease caused by a single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus of the Lyssavirus genus, within the family Rhabdoviridae. Its primary mode of transmission to humans is through bites or saliva-contaminated scratches from infected mammals such as dogs, bats, raccoons, or foxes. Transmission can also occur if infectious saliva contacts abraded skin or intact mucous membranes, including the conjunctiva.Viral Entry and Early ReplicationOnce introduced at the bite or scratch...
Malaria01:29

Malaria

Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...
Viral Recombination00:57

Viral Recombination

Cells are sometimes infected by more than one virus at once. When two viruses disassemble to expose their genomes for replication in the same cell, similar regions of their genomes can pair together and exchange sequences in a process called recombination. Alternatively, viruses with segmented genomes can swap segments in a process called reassortment.