Molecular mechanisms of cell death: recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death 2018.

Over the past decade, the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death (NCCD) has formulated guidelines for the definition and interpretation of cell death from morphological, biochemical, and functional perspectives. Since the field continues to expand and novel mechanisms that orchestrate multiple cell death pathways are unveiled, we propose an updated classification of cell death subroutines focusing on mechanistic and essential (as opposed to correlative and dispensable) aspects of the process. As we provide molecularly oriented definitions of terms including intrinsic apoptosis, extrinsic apoptosis, mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT)-driven necrosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, parthanatos, entotic cell death, NETotic cell death, lysosome-dependent cell death, autophagy-dependent cell death, immunogenic cell death, cellular senescence, and mitotic catastrophe, we discuss the utility of neologisms that refer to highly specialized instances of these processes. The mission of the NCCD is to provide a widely accepted nomenclature on cell death in support of the continued development of the field

Deubiquitinase USP13 dictates MCL1 stability and sensitivity to BH3 mimetic inhibitors

MCL1, a pro-survival BCL-2 related protein with rapid turnover rate, is often dysregulated in cancers. Here, the authors show that MCL1’s stability is regulated by deubiquitinase USP13, and its inhibition sensitises tumor cells to BH3 mimetic inhibitors

Constructing flavour perception: from destruction to creation and back again

We review the evidence suggesting that the bistable/multistable percepts that exist in the so-called ‘higher’ senses of vision, audition, and touch do not seem to occur in the chemical senses (e.g., taste, aroma, and flavour). While we can undoubtedly be mistaken about our interpretation of chemical stimuli, and while certain aromas/flavours or do support multiple ‘correct’ interpretations, the perceptual switches occur only rarely rather than repeatedly. In fact, the interpretational changes that chemical stimuli occasionally undergo seem to have more in common with the phenomenon of the Gestalt principle of ‘emergence’ than with multistable perception. We highlight a number of potential differences in information-processing/attention between the senses that may underpin such perceptual differences. Finally, we describe a new dish created by chef Jozef Youssef in order to illustrate the concept of emergence, and support discussion of the theme of gastronomy, just like art, as a matter of interpretation. The Picasso dish was served recently at the Gastrophysics dining concept delivered by Kitchen Theory in London