Molecular suicide notes: Last call from apoptosing cells

Abstract

Dying cells actively attract professional phagocytes by sending out soluble 'find-me' signals. The characterization and identification of the corresponding molecular entities have revealed that 'find-me' signals come in different flavors, including peptides, proteins, lipids and complex structures, such as apoptotic microblebs. With the very recent report by Elliott et al., nucleotides as a novel nuance enter the menu. © The Author (2009).