Molecular mechanisms of cell death: recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death 2018

Abstract

Over the past decade, the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death (NCCD) has formulated guidelines for the definition and interpretation of cell death from morphological, biochemical, and functional perspectives. Since the field continues to expand and novel mechanisms that orchestrate multiple cell death pathways are unveiled, we propose an updated classification of cell death subroutines focusing on mechanistic and essential (as opposed to correlative and dispensable) aspects of the process. As we provide molecularly oriented definitions of terms including intrinsic apoptosis, extrinsic apoptosis, mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT)-driven necrosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, parthanatos, entotic cell death, NETotic cell death, lysosome-dependent cell death, autophagy-dependent cell death, immunogenic cell death, cellular senescence, and mitotic catastrophe, we discuss the utility of neologisms that refer to highly specialized instances of these processes. The mission of the NCCD is to provide a widely accepted nomenclature on cell death in support of the continued development of the field.

Priming anti-tumor immunity by radiotherapy: Dying tumor cell-derived DAMPs trigger endothelial cell activation and recruitment of myeloid cells

“…3,10 Proliferating cells of the hematopoietic system predominantly undergo apoptosis upon irradiation, as characterized by externalization of phosphatidylserine, membrane blebbing, chromatin condensation, and DNA fragmentation, while the integrity of the plasma membrane remains intact. 11 If apoptotic cells are not removed in time by professional or non-professional phagocytes, they progress into secondary, post-apoptotic necrosis: The integrity of the plasma membrane collapses, and intracellular contents, including DAMPs, are released. 3,12 In cells of epithelial origin, the extent of apoptosis induction upon irradiation is rather limited.…”

“…11,27 Here, culture supernatants of these dying cells were analyzed for their effects on endothelial cell activation as well as the recruitment and activation of APCs in vitro and in vivo . The results were compared to supernatants of 4 × 2 Gy-, 2 Gy-, and sham-irradiated cells.…”

An accessible and high-throughput strategy of continuously monitoring apoptosis by fluorescent detection of caspase activation

“…Apoptosis is a type of regulated cell death that neutralizes and destroys cells without generating an inflammatory reaction in the surrounding tissue [1,2]. This process plays an integral role in biological functions as diverse as tissue turnover [3], adaptive immunity [4], angiogenesis [5], and normal wound healing [6,7].…”

Necroptosis in Acute Kidney Injury

“…The recent version of the recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death 2018 lists 12 major cell death subroutines with unique signal transduction cascades that ultimately lead to cell demise (Fig. 1) [1]. In the kidney research domain, it seems obvious to study regulated necrosis in forms of kidney disease involving necrotic lesions, that is, the different forms of acute kidney injury (AKI).…”