Synthetic protein circuits for programmable control of mammalian cell death. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38657604/)

These scientists wanted to find a way to control how cells die in our bodies. They know that there are natural ways that cells can die, like apoptosis and pyroptosis, which help get rid of harmful cells and also affect our immune system. The scientists wanted to create a special system that could trigger specific ways for cells to die, similar to what happens naturally, but they wanted to have more control over it.

So, they created something called "synpoptosis" circuits, which are like tiny machines that can regulate how cells die. These circuits can respond to different signals in the body and make sure that only the bad cells are targeted for elimination. They also found that these circuits can be passed from one cell to another, which means they can create cells that are like little soldiers that can go around and get rid of harmful cells without harming themselves.

Overall, the scientists discovered a way to program cells to die in a specific way, which could help in fighting diseases and keeping our bodies healthy.

Xia S., Lu AC., Tobin V., Luo K., Moeller L., Shon DJ., Du R., Linton JM., Sui M., Horns F., Elowitz MB. Synthetic protein circuits for programmable control of mammalian cell death. Cell. 2024 May 23;187(11):2785-2800.e16. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.031. Epub 2024 Apr 23.