A 2025 study by Randal Halfmann's team at the Stowers Institute of Medical Research published evidence that the polymerization of death fold proteins involves a burst of energy analogous to the energy release during liquid-to-crystal transitions (as in reusable hand warmers), and that this energetic release can drive a rapid chain reaction of polymerization.
October 16, 2025
high
temporal
Study linking energy release from protein polymerization to the mechanism of death fold-driven cell death.
The double-helix structure of DNA explains how hereditary information is stored and how cells replicate DNA during cell division, beginning with the two strands separating like a zipper.
January 01, 1953
high
scientific
Mechanistic implication of DNA's double-helix structure for heredity and replication
The double-helix structure of DNA provides a mechanism for storing hereditary information and for DNA replication during cell division, where replication begins when the two complementary strands separate and each serves as a template for a new strand.
January 01, 1953
high
temporal
Biological implication of the DNA double-helix model
Death fold proteins are intracellular proteins that can trigger programmed cell death by crumpling, linking with other crumpled proteins to form 'death fold' polymers, and initiating a chain reaction of polymerization that leads to cell death.
high
process
Mechanistic description of how death fold proteins induce cell suicide.