Pyroptosis: Caspase-11 Unlocks the Gates of Death

Aude de Gassart; Fabio Martinon

doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2015.10.024

Pyroptosis: Caspase-11 Unlocks the Gates of Death

Immunity. 2015 Nov 17;43(5):835-7. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2015.10.024.

Authors

Aude de Gassart¹, Fabio Martinon²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry, University of Lausanne, 155 Ch. Des Boveresses, Epalinges 1066, Switzerland.
² Department of Biochemistry, University of Lausanne, 155 Ch. Des Boveresses, Epalinges 1066, Switzerland. Electronic address: fabio.martinon@unil.ch.

PMID: 26588774
DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2015.10.024

Abstract

How inflammatory caspases trigger pyroptotic cell death is mostly unexplained. In this issue of Immunity, Núñez and colleagues report that caspase-11 cleaves the transmembrane channel pannexin-1, causing an efflux of cellular ATP that promotes a P2X7 receptor-dependent pyroptosis.

Keywords: Pyroptosis; caspase-11; danger signals; inflammation.

Publication types

Comment

MeSH terms

Animals
Caspases / metabolism*
Connexins / metabolism*
Humans
Nerve Tissue Proteins / metabolism*
Pyroptosis / physiology*
Receptors, Purinergic P2X7 / metabolism*
Shock, Septic / metabolism*

Substances

Connexins
Nerve Tissue Proteins
Receptors, Purinergic P2X7
Caspases