Inflammasome caspase

Inflammatory caspases (caspase-1, -4, -5,-11 and -12) constitute a subgroup of the caspase family. Caspase-1 is the best characterized member and is responsible for the proteolytic maturation and release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines pro-interleukin (IL)-1 (3 and pro-IL-18. Caspase-1 gets activated in inflammasome complexes upon cellular stress, cellular damage and infection. 

The activation of the inflammatory caspases uses a mechanism resembling that of the initiator caspases. The presence of a complex, known as the inflammasome (Martinon et al., 2002), is required for activation of this set of proteases. The recruitment of caspases into this complex results in their activation. For caspase-1, the adaptor ASC (apoptosis-associated specklike protein containing a CARD) is critical in inflammasome formation in response to a variety of stimuli, whereas involvement of the adaptors Ipaf (ICE-protease-activating factor) and NALP3 is stimulus-dependent (Mariathasan, 2007). 

Martinon F, Gaide O, PetriUi V, Mayor A, Tschopp J (2007) NALP inflammasomes a central role in innate immunity. Semin Immunopathol 29 213-229 Mastronardi C, Whelan F, YUdiz OA, Hannestad J, Elashoff D, McCann SM, Licinia J, Wong M-L (2007) Caspase-1 deficiency reduces inflammation-induced brain transcription. Proc Natl Acad Sci 104 7205-7210... 

Martinon E, Burns K, Tschopp J. The inflammasome a molecular platform triggering activation of inflammatory caspases and processing... 

Malik AF, Hoque R, Ouyang X, Ghani A, Hong E, Khan K, et al. Inflammasome components Asc and caspase-1 mediate biomaterial-induced inflammation and foreign body response. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2011 108(50) 20095-100. 

HORNUNG V, ABLASSER A, CHARREL-DENNIS M, BAUERNFEIND F, HORVATH G, CAFFREY DR, LATZ E, FITZGERALD KA (2009), AIM2 Tecognizes cytosolic dsDNA and forms a caspase-l-activating inflammasome with ASC , Nature, 458,514-18. 

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