caspase-mediated cell death

9.1

A planned way cells destroy themselves using caspase enzymes to remove damaged or dangerous cells

noun

Specialized

: muerte celular mediada por caspasas

Researchers developed drugs to block caspase-mediated cell death after a stroke to protect brain tissue.

Examples

Many neurodegenerative diseases involve excessive caspase-mediated cell death of neurons.
Cancers sometimes evade caspase-mediated cell death, leading to uncontrolled proliferation.
Researchers are studying caspase-mediated cell death in cancer therapy.
Understanding caspase-mediated cell death is crucial for developing new treatments.
Cancers sometimes evade caspase-mediated cell death, leading to uncontrolled proliferation.
Many neurodegenerative diseases involve excessive caspase-mediated cell death of neurons.
Researchers developed drugs to block caspase-mediated cell death after a stroke to protect brain tissue.

Synonyms

apoptosis

vscaspase-mediated cell death

Specialized

4 7.4

A controlled process in which a cell dies on purpose to remove damaged or extra cells

focuses on death driven mainly by specific enzymes orchestrating the process

Surface Forms

caspase-mediated cell death singular

caspase-mediated cell deaths plural

Morphology

caspase-mediated + cell + death

The expression is compositional: 'cell death' is the death of a cell and 'caspase-mediated' means ‘mediated by caspases’ (i.e., caused or orchestrated by caspase enzymes), so the overall meaning is directly derivable as cell death caused by caspases. Although 'caspase' is a specialized biomedical term that a typical B1 learner may not know, under the criterion that the learner knows all constituents the phrase is transparently built from its parts.

Etymology

Caspase-mediated cell death comes from the image of tiny 'scissors' called caspases inside a cell that cut key parts and make the cell die. So, the phrase means a cell's death that is 'caused by' these caspases.