Caspase-mediated cleavage of phospholipid flippase for apoptotic phosphatidylserine exposure

Abstract

How cells haul down their “eat me” flags Dead and dying cells expose a membrane lipid called phosphatidylserine (PS) on their cell surface as a sort of “eat me” signal. Segawa et al. identified the membrane enzyme responsible for flipping any PS that inadvertently makes it way from the inner to the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane lipid bilayer. Without the enzyme, macrophages gobbled up healthy cells. Science , this issue p. 1164