Necrotic Cell Death

In contrast to apoptosis, well-defined as a form of programmed cell death, necrosis used to be considered as accidental (i.e., non-programmed) cell death, usually in response to a severe injury. Accumulating evidence now suggests however that necrosis is also programmed and controlled by distinctive death machinery in response to various stimuli like oxidative stress or DNA damage. Keeping pace with the emerging research interest in necrosis, this second volume in the newly-launched series Cell Death in Biology and Diseases presents comprehensive coverage of necrosis from recognized experts from leading academic and medical institutions around the world. Starting with discussion of basic concepts and the molecular mechanisms of necrosis, this book looks first at the several forms of necrotic cell death that have been identified, including necroptosis, autophagic cell death, and PARP-mediated cell death. As necrotic cell death is increasingly known to play a critical role in many physiological processes, the next chapters discuss its effect on metabolism, inflammation, immunity, and development. Necrotic cell death is closely implicated in human diseases like cancer so the next chapters examine its relevance to human diseases and final chapters cover methodologies for measuring necrosis.