Weizmann Institute Researchers Identify DARE Cells That Begin Cell Death Yet Survive to Rebuild Damaged Tissue

Key facts

• Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science, led by Prof. Eli Arama and Dr. Tslil Braun, identified 'DARE' cells that initiate apoptosis but survive, publishing their findings in Nature Communications.
• DARE cells activate initiator caspases but a molecular motor protein tethering the enzyme to the cell membrane halts the process before effector caspases complete cell destruction, while NARE cells survive without activating initiator caspase.
• In fruit fly larvae experiments, DARE cells drove compensatory proliferation, replenishing nearly half of injured tissue within 48 hours, and removing them eliminated this regeneration.
• Descendants of DARE cells were seven times more resistant to cell death, and a second radiation exposure caused cell deaths to drop by half compared with the first.
• The study recreated a classic 1970s experiment in which radiation-damaged fly larvae regenerated functional wings, and the findings may offer clues on how malignant cells survive chemotherapy, though direct application to human oncology is not yet established.