Knowing cell death mechanisms and their applications in the management of disease.

Abstract

Cell death is a crucial biological process involved in development, homeostasis, and immune regulation. It can occur through multiple mechanisms, including apoptosis, necroptosis, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis. Programmed cell death is genetically regulated and essential for multicellular organisms, with dysregulation leading to various diseases. In normal development, cell death sculpts shapes and optimizes functions in the immune and central nervous systems. The field of cell death research has grown significantly, with recent efforts to standardize nomenclature, to describe the different mechanisms and to make available several assays to identify and study each of the different cell death processes. Fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging can probe cellular metabolism and detect cell death by measuring intensity or lifetime changes. In situ detection methods include DNA nick-end labeling, vital dyes, lysosomal enzyme histochemistry, and immunocytochemical detection of death-associated antigens. These diverse approaches enable researchers to investigate cell death in various contexts, from developmental processes to responses to external stimuli, contributing to our understanding of this fundamental biological phenomenon. Moreover, understanding these processes has important implications for treating diseases such as cancer, developmental abnormalities and neurological disorders.