Pathway to cell death redefined in landmark study

A new study led by investigators from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine demonstrates that the process of necrosis, long thought to be a chaotic, irreversible pathway to cell death, may actually be triggered as part of a regulated response to stress by a powerful protein, SRP-6, that can potentially halt necrosis in its path. Further, the research team realized that this protein might be harnessed to direct some cells -- those in cancerous tumors, for instance -- to die, while saving others, such as degenerating neural cells responsible for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The work appears on the Sept. 21 cover of the journal Cell.