Contact: Leila Gray
leilag@u.washington.edu
206-685-0381
University of Washington

Pyroptosis: How a Dying Cell Sounds an Alarm

Caption: This schematic shows the cell death pathway called pyroptosis, Greek for going down in flames. When activated by a toxin or an infection, the enzyme caspase-1 initiates several reactions inside of the cell, some of which lead to DNA damage, others to the release of chemical distress signals called cytokines, and others to the formation in the cell membrane of tiny pores that let water flood in until the cell swells, bursts and spills its contents.

Credit: Image by David W. Ehlert and Brad Cookson, University of Washington.

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Related news release: How do infections and toxins launch a cell's self-destruct and alarm system?