Dying cells fan the flames of inflammation

Inflammatory processes that recruit leukocytes to injured or infected tissues are crucial for tissue repair and the elimination of pathogens. However, excessive or chronic inflammation promotes tissue damage and disease, as in arthritis, atherosclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and COVID-19. Intracellular constituents released from dying cells are among the stimuli that trigger proinflammatory gene expression programs in innate immune cells. We explore how programmed cell death mechanisms—apoptosis, necroptosis, and pyroptosis—may contribute to inflammatory disease. We discuss inhibition of cell death as a potential therapeutic strategy, focusing on the targets RIPK1 (receptor interacting serine/threonine kinase 1), NLRP3 (NLR family pyrin domain containing 3), and GSDMD (gasdermin D) as important mediators of lytic cell death. We also consider the potential benefits of limiting membrane rupture rather than cell death by targeting NINJ1. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)