Apoptosis, Pyroptosis, and Necroptosis-Oh My! The Many Ways a Cell Can Die

Natália Ketelut-Carneiro; Katherine A Fitzgerald

doi:10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167378

Apoptosis, Pyroptosis, and Necroptosis-Oh My! The Many Ways a Cell Can Die

J Mol Biol. 2022 Feb 28;434(4):167378. doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167378. Epub 2021 Nov 25.

Authors

Natália Ketelut-Carneiro¹, Katherine A Fitzgerald²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Innate Immunity, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, United States.
² Division of Innate Immunity, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, United States. Electronic address: kate.fitzgerald@umassmed.edu.

PMID: 34838807
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167378

Abstract

Cell death is an essential process in all living organisms and occurs through different mechanisms. The three main types of programmed cell death are apoptosis, pyroptosis, and necroptosis, and each of these pathways employs complex molecular and cellular mechanisms. Although there are mechanisms and outcomes specific to each pathway, they share common components and features. In this review, we discuss recent discoveries in these three best understood modes of cell death, highlighting their singularities, and examining the intriguing notion that common players shape different individual pathways in this highly interconnected and coordinated cell death system. Understanding the similarities and differences of these cell death processes is crucial to enable targeted strategies to manipulate these pathways for therapeutic benefit.

Keywords: apoptosis; cell death; pyroptosis and necroptosis.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Apoptosis*
Humans
Necroptosis*
Pyroptosis*