SFB 1403: Cell Death in Immunity, Inflammation and Disease

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Cell death is a fundamental biological process that is critical for the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and plays a central role in host-microbe interactions and pathogen defence in both animals and plants. The recent discoveries of molecularly controlled pathways of lytic cell death, such as necroptosis, pyroptosis and ferroptosis, revealed that cells can select between different modalities of regulated cell death (RCD) and instigated the concept that the consequences of cell death at the tissue and organismal levels are profoundly affected by the way a cell dies. Dying cells regulate tissue responses by engaging in an intimate cross-talk with bystander cells, yet it remains unclear how the type of cell death determines the outcome of this interaction. While it is now generally accepted that the different RCD pathways have distinct functions, we are only just beginning to understand their respective physiological roles and how these are interlinked with each other. Moreover, the mechanisms determining whether, when and how a cell dies and the effects this exerts on surrounding tissues remain poorly understood. The overarching goal of this CRC is to understand the mechanisms of regulation and the functional and physiological consequences of diverse forms of RCD in organismal physiology and pathology, with particular focus on immunity, inflammation and host-microbe interactions. During the first funding period, collaborative groups of CRC researchers made important discoveries that considerably advanced our understanding of the mechanisms regulating different types of RCD in animals and plants. Moreover, CRC investigators made considerable progress in elucidating the role of different pathways of RCD in immunity, inflammation and disease and dissecting the underlying mechanisms. Through a multitude of networking, educational and training activities, we promoted and fostered a highly collaborative inter-disciplinary research community establishing our CRC as an internationally prominent centre on cell death research. During the next funding period, we will further expand and update our program to address fundamental outstanding questions in cell death research. By advancing our understanding of the regulation and function of the different forms of RCD in organismal physiology and pathology and dissecting the underlying mechanisms, we ultimately aspire to propose new knowledge-based therapeutic approaches for cell death-related diseases in patients and in economically important crops.