Pyroptosis is a type of programmed cell death mediated by the gasdermin (GSDM) protein family, which plays important roles in the body's defense against pathogen infection, elimination of abnormal or ...

For some pathogens, attack is the best form of defense—they enter immune cells of the human body. However, if they are detected in their hidden niche, the infected cell kills itself to re-expose the ...

All these gasdermins are activated by a similar mechanism, but the chain of events they set in motion is far more extensive in human cells. In bacterial cells, viral infection may trigger cells to die ...

Only recently has there been great progress in understanding our innate immune responses. However, we are still filling out the picture. A recent story, by Johnson et al., adds a new chapter to the ...

Pyroptosis is a highly inflammatory form of programmed necrotic cell death that acts as a defense mechanism against the infection of bacterial and viral pathogens. Pyroptosis is executed by gasdermin, ...

There are drugs on the market that can slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, but there are still no cures. Studies by researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School ...

For some pathogens, attack is the best form of defense -- they enter immune cells of the human body. However, if they are detected in their hidden niche, the infected cell kills itself to re-expose ...

The human immune system, that marvel of complexity, subtlety, and sophistication, includes a billion-year-old family of proteins used by bacteria to defend themselves against viruses, scientists have ...

The best hiding place often lies behind enemy lines, as many bacteria such as the pathogens responsible for tuberculosis or typhoid have realized. They invade immune cells and can survive there, well ...