title: Mechanisms and functions of inflammasomes.
abstract: Recent studies have offered a glimpse into the sophisticated mechanisms by which inflammasomes respond to danger and promote secretion of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18. Activation of caspases 1 and 11 in canonical and noncanonical inflammasomes, respectively, also protects against infection by triggering pyroptosis, a proinflammatory and lytic mode of cell death. The therapeutic potential of inhibiting these proinflammatory caspases in infectious and autoimmune diseases is raised by the successful deployment of anti-IL-1 therapies to control autoinflammatory diseases associated with aberrant inflammasome signaling. This Review summarizes recent insights into inflammasome biology and discusses the questions that remain in the field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Protein Research, VIB, Ghent 9000, Belgium; Department of Biochemistry, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium. Electronic address: mohamed.lamkanfi@vib-ugent.be.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lamkanfi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological Chemistry, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA. Electronic address: dixit.vishva@gene.com.
authors.forename: Vishva M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Dixit
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D016923:Cell Death; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D058847:Inflammasomes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000276:immunology; D017370:Interleukin-11 / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D058847:Inflammasomes; D007375:Interleukin-1; D017370:Interleukin-11