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

Researchers now have an innovative way to investigate diseases associated with disrupted cell death, such as various cancers, and acute infections in the body, such as ‘sepsis’, as well as ‘acute respiratory distress syndrome’ – one of the leading causes of death from corona

Image of cell during inflammatory cell death programmed inflammation [באדיבות: החוקר הראשי]

[תרגום מאת ד”ר משה נחמני]

A study published by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago describes an innovative method for controlling the process of ‘programmed cell death’ – the process by which cells die as a result of acute inflammation in the body, and the researchers describe how to stop and control this process, which has hitherto been considered irreversible.

The discovery, described in an article in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Communications, Means that researchers now have an innovative way to study diseases related to disrupted cell death processes, such as various cancers, and acute infections, such as’ sepsis’, as well as’ Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), characterized by respiratory failure In the rapid onset of diffuse inflammation of the lungs) which is one of the complications of coronary heart disease.

‘Pyroptosis’ is a series of biochemical reactions that use the gasdermin protein, which causes the formation of large nostrils in the cell membrane while reducing the overall stability of the cell. In order to gain further insights regarding this process, the researchers developed optogenic gaseousmin by genetically engineering the original protein so that it would respond to light.

“The process of cell death plays an important role in the body, both in healthy and morbid conditions, but the study of ‘Pyroptosis’, which is the leading type of cell death, is particularly challenging,” said Gary Mo, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Renewable Medicine. From the University of Illinois at Chicago. The researcher explains that there are methods for testing the mechanisms of this process in living cells that are difficult to control because the process is triggered by unexpected pathogens (pathogens, pathogens), which have different effects in different cells and people. “Our engineered protein allows us to bypass the pitfall of unexpected behavior of stimulants, and of the different cellular response, since it mimics at the molecular level the occurrence in the cell from the moment of activation of this mechanism,” the lead researcher explains.

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

“These findings prove to us that this type of cell death is not irreversible. The process is actually programmed along with an undo button, a type of shut-off switch,” says the lead researcher. “Understanding how to control this process opens up new avenues for drug discovery, and now we can find new drugs that can increase or weaken this cellular process in the body.”

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