title: Intertwined pathways of programmed cell death in immunity.
abstract: Programmed cell death (PCD) occurs widely in species from every kingdom of life. It has been shown to be an integral aspect of development in multicellular organisms, and it is an essential component of the immune response to infectious agents. An analysis of the phylogenetic origin of PCD now shows that it evolved independently several times, and it is fundamental to basic cellular physiology. Undoubtedly, PCD pervades all life at every scale of analysis. These considerations provide a backdrop for understanding the complexity of intertwined, but independent, cell death programs that operate within the immune system. In particular, the contributions of apoptosis, autophagy, and necrosis in the resolution of an immune response are considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0377, USA. shedrick@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Stephen M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hedrick
authors.forename: Irene L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Ch'en
authors.forename: Bryce N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Alves
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000276:immunology*; D001343:Autophagy / Q000276:immunology*; D053181:Caspase 8 / Q000378:metabolism; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity / Q000276:immunology*; D009336:Necrosis / Q000276:immunology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D053181:Caspase 8