Recent data from two independent laboratories have shed new light on the molecular mechanisms by which mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL) promotes a peculiar form of regulated necrosis known as necroptosis. Upon phosphorylation by receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3), MLKL appears indeed to form oligomers that localize to the plasma membrane and compromise its ability to preserve ionic homeostasis.
