Ruptosis - A New Way of Cell Death

Cells die in more ways than most people realize. Researchers studying flatworms described ruptosis, a new form of cell death in which a single cell detonates, destroying its neighbors within a 100-micrometer radius. Remarkably, it's carried out by a gland cell, not an immune cell.

The table above compares ruptosis with the other major cell-death pathways: apoptosis, necroptosis, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis, alongside the contact-dependent killing by cytotoxic T cells and NK cells. The table covers what triggers each route, what they target, whether it requires direct cell-to-cell contact, and how quickly it acts.