Scientists have discovered how to slow down and control the process of cell death

Researchers now have an innovative way to study diseases related to disturbed cell death processes, such as various types of cancer, and acute inflammations in the body, such as 'sepsis', as well as 'acute respiratory distress syndrome' - one of the main causes of death from Corona

[Translation by Dr. Moshe Nachmani]

A study published by researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago describes an innovative method to control the process of 'programmed cell death' - the process in which cells die as a result of acute inflammation in the body, and the researchers describe how this process, which until now was considered irreversible, can be slowed down and controlled.

The discovery, which was described in an article in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Communications., which means that researchers now have an innovative way to study diseases related to disturbed cell death processes, such as various types of cancer, and acute inflammations in the body, such as 'sepsis', as well as 'acute respiratory distress syndrome' (ARDS, respiratory failure characterized by in the rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs) which is one of the complications of the corona disease.

'Inflammatory programmed cell death' (Pyroptosis) is a series of biochemical reactions that use gasdermin protein which causes the formation of large holes in the cell membrane while reducing the overall stability of the cell. In order to gain further insight into this process, the researchers developed optogenetic gestermin by genetically engineering the original protein so that it responds to light.

"The process of cell death plays an important role in the body, both in healthy states and in disease states, but the study of 'inflammatory programmed cell death' (Pyroptosis), which is the main type of cell death, is particularly challenging," said Gary Mo, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Regenerative Medicine. from the University of Illinois at Chicago. The researcher explains that existing methods for testing the mechanisms of this process in living cells are difficult to control since the process is triggered by unpredictable agents (pathogens, disease-causing agents), which have different effects on different cells and people. "Our engineered protein allows us to bypass the hurdle of unexpected behavior of inhibitors, and of the different cellular response, since it mimics at the molecular level what happens in the cell from the moment this mechanism is activated," explains the lead researcher.

The researchers applied this measure and used fluorescence imaging technology in order to precisely activate the engineered protein in cellular experiments, and observed the formation of the nozzles in the cell membrane under different conditions. They discovered that certain conditions, for example, specific concentrations of calcium ions, cause the nozzles to close within a tenth of a second. The automatic response to external signals provides evidence that the process controls itself dynamically.

"These findings prove to us that this type of cell death is not irreversible. The process is actually programmed together with a cancel button, a kind of off switch," says the lead researcher. "Understanding how to control this process opens up new paths for drug discovery, and now we can find new drugs that can increase or decrease this cellular process in the body."  

The news about the research        

The scientific article

• Death on the bypass
• Deciphering a wave of cell death may in the future allow cancer tumors to shrink
• Alternative death
• What happens when the mechanism for programmed cell death is removed from the cell
• Weizmann Institute scientists have discovered: the combined activity of two proteins causes the death of cancer cells found in children's brains