Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Cell death is a process by which a cell's vital capacity is terminated. During an immune response, cells of the immune system cause the death of cells that are infected with microorganisms or are otherwise abnormal and remove dead cell fragments from the body. Failure to remove dead cells can cause inflammatory disease.
Lipopolysaccharide-induced breakdown of the blood–brain barrier requires activation of GSDMD-mediated plasma membrane permeabilization and pyroptosis in brain endothelial cells.
A newly developed RIPK3 inhibitor blocks necroptosis of lung cells, reduces lung inflammation and prevents mortality in a mouse model of influenza A virus infection.
Xu and colleagues identify a sequential palmitoylation–depalmitoylation mechanism that controls GSDMD cleavage by caspases, plasma membrane trafficking and oligomerization, thereby triggering pyroptosis in a spatial and temporal manner.