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Inflammasomes and the microbiota—partners in the preservation of mucosal homeostasis

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Abstract

Inflammasomes are multiprotein complexes that serve as signaling platforms initiating innate immune responses. These structures are assembled upon a large array of stimuli, sensing both microbial products and endogenous signals indicating loss of cellular homeostasis. As such, inflammasomes are regarded as sensors of cellular integrity and tissue health, which, upon disruption of homeostasis, provoke an inflammatory response by the release of potent cytokines. Recent evidence suggests that in addition to sensing cellular integrity, inflammasomes are involved in the homeostatic mutualism between the host and its indigenous microbiota. Here, we summarize the involvement of various inflammasomes in host–microbiota interactions and focus on the role of commensal as well as pathogenic bacteria in inflammasome signaling.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the members of the Elinav lab for fruitful discussions. We apologize to authors whose relevant work was not included in this review owing to space constraints. Eran Elinav is supported by Yael and Rami Ungar, Israel; The Abisch-Frenkel Foundation for the Promotion of Life Sciences; the Gurwin Family Fund for Scientific Research; The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust; the Crown Endowment Fund for Immunological Research; the Estate of Jack Gitlitz; the Estate of Lydia Hershkovich; and the European Research Council. Christoph A. Thaiss is supported by a Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds PhD Fellowship.

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  1. Immunology Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, 100 Herzl Street, 76100, Rehovot, Israel

    Maayan Levy, Christoph A. Thaiss, Meirav N. Katz, Jotham Suez & Eran Elinav

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  1. Maayan Levy
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  2. Christoph A. Thaiss
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  3. Meirav N. Katz
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Correspondence to Eran Elinav.

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Maayan Levy, Christoph A. Thaiss, Meirav N. Katz, and Jotham Suez are equal contributors.

This article is a contribution to the Special Issue on Microbiome, Immunity and Inflammation - Guest Editor: Hiroshi Ohno

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Levy, M., Thaiss, C.A., Katz, M.N. et al. Inflammasomes and the microbiota—partners in the preservation of mucosal homeostasis. Semin Immunopathol 37, 39–46 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00281-014-0451-7

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