Heterolysis (hetero = other/different, lysis = cell breakdown) is the spontaneous death and disintegration of a cell from factors other than itself. In contrast, autolysis happens when a cell dies due to its own secretions or signaling. Some external factors that cause heterolysis are hypoxia, biological factors, chemical agents like drugs or free radical reactions, physical factors like electric shock, trauma, extreme radiation, and immunological reactions such as inflammation or allergic reactions. Such extrinsic cell death is important in executing proper immune response functions. This is commonly seen when a bacterial or viral infection occurs and the pathogen forces the cell to stop apoptosis to avoid death of host cells. In such scenarios, heterolytic factors make it possible to combat infections by lysing the infected cells.
References
- ^ Adigun R, Basit H, Murray J (2024). "Cell Liquefactive Necrosis". StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. PMID 28613685. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
- Miller MA, Zachary JF (January 2017). "Mechanisms and Morphology of Cellular Injury, Adaptation, and Death1". In Zachary JF (ed.). Pathologic Basis of Veterinary Disease (Sixth ed.). Mosby. pp. 2–43.e19. doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-35775-3.00001-1. ISBN 978-0-323-35775-3.
- Festjens N, Vanden Berghe T, Vandenabeele P (2006-09-01). "Necrosis, a well-orchestrated form of cell demise: signalling cascades, important mediators and concomitant immune response". Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Bioenergetics. Mitochondria: from Molecular Insight to Physiology and Pathology. 1757 (9–10): 1371–1387. doi:10.1016/j.bbabio.2006.06.014. PMID 16950166.
 | This cell biology article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |