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Gasdermin D pores hitch a ride: extracellular vesicles spread pyroptosis

Gang Du^1,2 , Hao Wu^1,2,*

¹Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
²Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
* Correspondence: Hao Wu(wu@crystal.harvard.edu)

Pyroptosis is a highly immunogenic cell death due to the release of damage-associated molecular patterns and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β and IL-18. A recent study published in Cell by Wright and colleagues uncovered a novel mechanism in which extracellular vesicles released from pyroptotic cells serve as carriers of functional gasdermin D pores to propagate pyroptosis to bystander cells, providing valuable insights into the process of bystander cell death and opening up potential therapeutic avenues.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41422-025-01109-4

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