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SIGNALLING AND CELL DEATH

Igniting the spread of ferroptotic cell death

Nature Cell Biology volume 22, pages 1027–1029 (2020)Cite this article

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Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent mode of cell death driven by lipid peroxidation, capable of explosively propagating through a field of cells. Two studies now explore the mechanisms underlying ferroptotic cell death and its spread, as well as its possible in vivo significance, shedding light on some of the burning questions surrounding ferroptosis.

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Fig. 1: Cell–cell propagation of ferroptosis is a distinct step from ferroptotic cell lysis.
Fig. 2: Lipid peroxidation is utilised as a long-range communication system to relay inflammatory signals to recruit leukocytes (green), despite the risk of inducing catastrophic spread of ferroptosis.

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  1. Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh, Queens Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK

    Andrew J. Davidson & Will Wood

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  1. Andrew J. Davidson
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  2. Will Wood
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Correspondence to Will Wood.

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Davidson, A.J., Wood, W. Igniting the spread of ferroptotic cell death. Nat Cell Biol 22, 1027–1029 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-020-0570-4

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