Billions of cells die in your body every day. Some people go out with a bang, and some people go out crying.
If you get injured or infected, you can accidentally die. Alternatively, if they outlive their lifespan or begin to decline, their remains can be cleaned up and their desired demise carefully prepared.
Initially, scientists thought that the only two ways animal cells could die were by chance or in an orchestrated way. But over the past few decades, researchers have Accumulated even more new cell death Some scenarios are specific to particular cell types or situations. Understanding this sequence of death can help scientists preserve good cells and kill bad ones, potentially leading to treatments for infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancer.
“There are so many different flavors here,” says Michael Oberholtzer, a cell biologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He estimates that there are currently more than 20 different names to describe types of cell death.
Here, Knowable Magazine introduces some classic and new modes for cells to kick the bucket.
Unplanned cell death: necrosis
A lot of bad things can happen to cells. Cells can be injured or burned, poisoned or starved of oxygen, infected with microorganisms, or become diseased. The accidental death of cells is called necrosis.
There is some types of necrosisIn the case of gangrene, when the cells crave blood, they rot. In other cases, dying cells may liquefy and turn into a yellow goop. Lung cells damaged by tuberculosis become mushy and white. The technical term for this type is “caseating” necrosis, which literally means “cheese-like.”
All forms of death other than necrosis are considered “programmed.” This means that it is carried out intentionally by a cell in order to damage it or to survive beyond its usefulness.
Good, clean death: apoptosis
Tirumala Devi Kanneganti, an immunologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, says there are two main categories of programmed cell death: “silent and violent.” apoptosis, First named in 1972the original silent type: Neat and clean form of cell death It does not wake up the immune system.
This is useful if the cells are damaged or have served their purpose. Apoptosis enables tadpole For example, we discard human fetuses to discard their tail cells when they become frogs, or discard the webs between their developing fingers.
Cells shrink and separate from neighboring cells. The genetic material within the nucleus is shredded and shrunk together, and the nucleus itself becomes fragmented. Membranes bubble and blister, and cells disintegrate. Other cells engulf the debris and keep the tissue clean.
