title: Understanding quasi-apoptosis of the most numerous enucleated components of blood needs detailed molecular autopsy.
abstract: Erythrocytes are the most numerous cells in human body and their function of oxygen transport is pivotal to human physiology. However, being enucleated, they are often referred to as a sac of molecules and their cellularity is challenged. Interestingly, their programmed death stands a testimony to their cell-hood. They are capable of self-execution after a defined life span by both cell-specific mechanism and that resembling the cytoplasmic events in apoptosis of nucleated cells. Since the execution process lacks the nuclear and mitochondrial events in apoptosis, it has been referred to as quasi-apoptosis or eryptosis. Several studies on molecular mechanisms underlying death of erythrocytes have been reported. The data has generated a non-cohesive sketch of the process. The lacunae in the present knowledge need to be filled to gain deeper insight into the mechanism of physiological ageing and death of erythrocytes, as well as the effect of age of organism on RBCs survival. This would entail how the most numerous cells in the human body die and enable a better understanding of signaling mechanisms of their senescence and premature eryptosis observed in individuals of advanced age.
authors.affiliation: Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 44 Thorez av., Sankt-Petersburg 194223, Russia.
authors.forename: Gennadii Petrovich
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Gusev
authors.affiliation: Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer, Tata Memorial Centre, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410210, India. Electronic address: rgovekar@actrec.gov.in.
authors.forename: Rukmini
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Govekar
authors.affiliation: Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer, Tata Memorial Centre, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410210, India.
authors.forename: Nikhil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gadewal
authors.affiliation: Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 44 Thorez av., Sankt-Petersburg 194223, Russia. Electronic address: nagalak@mail.ru.
authors.forename: Natalia Ivanovna
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Agalakova
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D016923:Cell Death; D002470:Cell Survival; D004905:Erythrocyte Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans
keywords: Cytoplasmic alterations; Erythrocytes; Membrane senescence markers; Molecular profiling; Physiological ageing; Proteomic analysis