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Mechanisms and consequences of entosis

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Abstract

Multiple mechanisms have emerged where the engulfment of whole live cells, leading to the formation of what are called ‘cell-in-cell’ structures, induces cell death. Entosis is one such mechanism that drives cell-in-cell formation during carcinogenesis and development. Curiously, entotic cells participate actively in their own engulfment, by invading into their hosts, and are then killed non-cell-autonomously. Here we review the mechanisms of entosis and entotic cell death and the consequences of entosis on cell populations.

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Acknowledgments

This article was Funded by a Grant from the National Cancer Institute (R01CA154649, to M.O.).

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  1. Cell Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Shefali Krishna & Michael Overholtzer

  2. Louis V. Gerstner Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Shefali Krishna & Michael Overholtzer

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  1. Shefali Krishna
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Correspondence to Michael Overholtzer.

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Krishna, S., Overholtzer, M. Mechanisms and consequences of entosis. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 73, 2379–2386 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-016-2207-0

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