The journal Cell Death and Differentiation has a special issue on cell death mechanisms this month (16 (3), March 2009), containing an Editorial and three Reviews which are free to access online, as well as a collection of original research papers. From the introduction to the issue: “Although cell death occurs in many different ways, it uses several common and evolutionarily conserved mechanisms. These control distinct forms of cell demise ranging from necrosis and excitotoxicity to autophagy and apoptosis. This review series comprises state-of the art reviews, which summarise our knowledge of basic mechanisms of cell death in a context of different pathological processes. Articles, written by the leaders in the field, present a comprehensive picture of cell-death routines and their role in shaping diseases. This collection of papers should serve as a key resource to researchers in cell biology, neurobiology, oncology, biochemistry and pharmacology.”

Archive of Cell Death and Differentiation special issues.