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Activation and Regulation of the NLRP3 Inflammasome

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The Inflammasomes

Part of the book series: Progress in Inflammation Research ((PIR))

Abstract

Inflammation is an immune response to infectious agents and to signals that arise from host molecules in stress situations or after tissue damage. Many innate immune receptors take part in the inflammatory response and induce transcriptional responses leading to the production of a host of cytokines, chemokines, and other inflammatory mediators. The IL-1β cytokines are exceptional in that they not only require transcriptional induction but also proteolytic processing into biologically active cytokines. This proteolytic activation step is mediated by caspase-1, which itself is controlled by cytosolic multimolecular complexes that are termed inflammasomes. The NLRP3 inflammasome responds to aggregated or crystalline material, microbes or pore-forming toxins and the activation mechanisms are not fully understood. The importance of this innate signaling complex is highlighted by the existence of several mechanisms that regulate NLRP3 activation at different levels.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grupo Inmunovirología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia

    Juan-Carlos Hernandez

  2. Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA

    Cherilyn M. Sirois & Eicke Latz

  3. Institute of Innate Immunity, University Hospitals, University of Bonn, 53127, Bonn, Germany

    Eicke Latz

Authors
  1. Juan-Carlos Hernandez
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  2. Cherilyn M. Sirois
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  3. Eicke Latz
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Correspondence to Eicke Latz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut de Transgénose, Labo. d'Immunologie et, CNRS, rue de la Férollerie 3B, Orléans CX 2, 45071, France

    Isabelle Couillin

  2. CNRS UMR 5201, Labo. Génétique et Cancer, Université de Lyon I, rue Laënnec 28, Lyon, 69008, France

    Virginie Pétrilli

  3. Dept. Immunology & Infectious, Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Huntington Ave. 651, Boston, 02115-6017, Massachusetts, USA

    Fabio Martinon

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Hernandez, JC., Sirois, C.M., Latz, E. (2011). Activation and Regulation of the NLRP3 Inflammasome. In: Couillin, I., Pétrilli, V., Martinon, F. (eds) The Inflammasomes. Progress in Inflammation Research. Springer, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-0148-5_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-0148-5_13

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