Category: Lab Notes: Cell Biology

Ferroptosis is a regulated form of cell death characterised by iron‑dependent lipid peroxidation and catastrophic membrane damage. Unlike apoptosis, necroptosis…

The DNA damage response is a cellular defense system that detects DNA damage, coordinates repair, regulates cell-cycle checkpoints, and protects the stability of the genome.

Replication stress occurs when DNA replication forks stall or collapse, generating genomic instability and driving tumour evolution. Through ATR–CHK1 signalling, fork protection and homologous recombination repair, cells stabilise damaged forks and prevent catastrophic chromosomal breakage.

The MRN complex, composed of MRE11, RAD50 and NBS1, is the primary sensor of DNA double‑strand breaks and a central regulator of genome stability. By activating ATM, initiating homologous recombination and stabilising damaged chromosomes, MRN safeguards cells against genomic instability and disease.

Necroptosis is a regulated necrotic cell‑death pathway driven by RIPK1–RIPK3–MLKL signalling. Through membrane permeabilisation and inflammatory activation, necroptosis eliminates infected or damaged cells when apoptosis is blocked, shaping immunity and disease progression.

ATM, ATR, DNA-PK, and p53 are key regulators of the DNA damage response. Learn how these pathways detect DNA damage, coordinate repair, control the cell cycle, and protect genome stability.

Protein misfolding occurs when proteins fail to achieve or maintain their correct three-dimensional structures. Explore its causes, cellular consequences, quality-control mechanisms, and connection to disease.

Therapeutic intervention includes a range of medical strategies, such as medication, surgery, rehabilitation, lifestyle changes, and advanced therapies, designed to prevent, manage, and treat disease.

Protein homeostasis is the process by which cells maintain a balance between protein synthesis and degradation. This balance is essential for protein quality, cellular function, growth, adaptation, and survival.

Cell signalling pathways are the communication networks that allow cells to detect signals, activate molecular cascades, and coordinate essential functions. This article explains how signalling works, how pathways are activated, and why they are vital for cellular health and survival.

Autophagy is the cell’s built‑in recycling system, removing damaged proteins and organelles to maintain health and survive stress. This article explains how autophagy works, its role in immunity, aging, and disease, and why it is essential for cellular balance.

Cells are dynamic systems that perform essential functions such as metabolism, respiration, signaling, migration, division, and homeostasis. This article explores how these interconnected processes sustain life at the microscopic level.

ERAD is a central ER quality‑control pathway that recognises misfolded proteins, retrotranslocates them to the cytosol, ubiquitinates them and directs them to the proteasome. By preventing proteotoxic accumulation, ERAD preserves ER homeostasis and supports cellular proteostasis.

The proteostasis network is an integrated system of chaperones, degradation pathways and organelle‑specific quality‑control mechanisms that maintains protein folding, stability and function. By coordinating refolding, repair and degradation, cells prevent proteotoxic stress and preserve homeostasis.

The unfolded protein response (UPR) is a conserved ER stress pathway that detects misfolded proteins and restores proteostasis. Through IRE1, PERK and ATF6 signalling, cells expand folding capacity, reduce protein load and maintain homeostasis under conditions of ER stress.