title: WantedPlasmodium falciparum, dead or alive.
abstract: Mechanisms of cell death in unicellular parasites have been subjects of debate for the last decade, with studies demonstrating evidence of apoptosis or non-apoptosis like mechanisms, including necrosis, and autophagy. Recent clarifications on the definition of regulated or accidental cell death by The Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death provides an opportunity to reanalyze some data, re-evaluate conclusions in the light of parasite diversity, and to propose alternative arguments in the context of malaria drug resistance, considering lack of really new drugs in the pipeline. Deciphering the mechanisms of death may help in detection of new drug targets and the design of innovative drugs. However, classifications have been evolving rapidly since initial description of "programmed cell death", leading to some uncertainty as to whetherPlasmodiumcell death is accidental or regulated.
authors.affiliation: University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Malaria Research Unit, SMITh, ICBMS, UMR 5246 CNRS-INSA-CPE-UCBL1, 8 avenue Rockefeller, 69373 Lyon cedex 08, France.
authors.forename: Fatimata
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sow
authors.affiliation: University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Malaria Research Unit, SMITh, ICBMS, UMR 5246 CNRS-INSA-CPE-UCBL1, 8 avenue Rockefeller, 69373 Lyon cedex 08, France.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nyonda
authors.affiliation: University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Malaria Research Unit, SMITh, ICBMS, UMR 5246 CNRS-INSA-CPE-UCBL1, 8 avenue Rockefeller, 69373 Lyon cedex 08, France. ; Hospices Civils de Lyon, Institut de Parasitologie et de Mycologie Médicale (IP2M), Hôpital de la Croix-Rousse, 103 grande rue de la Croix-Rousse, 69317 Lyon cedex 04, France.
authors.forename: Anne-Lise
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Bienvenu
authors.affiliation: University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Malaria Research Unit, SMITh, ICBMS, UMR 5246 CNRS-INSA-CPE-UCBL1, 8 avenue Rockefeller, 69373 Lyon cedex 08, France. ; Hospices Civils de Lyon, Institut de Parasitologie et de Mycologie Médicale (IP2M), Hôpital de la Croix-Rousse, 103 grande rue de la Croix-Rousse, 69317 Lyon cedex 04, France.
authors.forename: Stephane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Picot
keywords: Plasmodium; apoptosis; autophagy; cell death; malaria