Abstract

Inflammasomes are cytosolic multiprotein platforms with pivotal roles in infectious diseases. Activation of inflammasomes results in proinflammatory cytokine signaling and pyroptosis. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a major health problem worldwide, yet few studies have probed the impact of inflammasome signaling during these infections. Due to the dearth of appropriate infection models, our current understanding of inflammasomes in STIs is mostly drawn from results obtained in vitro, from distant infection sites, or from related microbial strains that are not sexually transmitted. Understanding how inflammasomes influence the outcome of STIs may lead to the development of novel and effective strategies to control disease and prevent transmission. Here we discuss and highlight the recent progress in this field.

Department(s)

Biology

Document Type

Article

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.it.2016.08.004

Rights Information

© 2016 The authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Keywords

NLRP3, NLRC4, IFI16, AIM2, caspase-1, inflammasome, IL-1β, IL-18, cancer, oncogenic, tumor, immunopathology, inflammation, sexually transmitted infections

Publication Date

2016

Journal Title

Trends in immunology

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