Inflammasomes in non-immune cells: functions and role in disease

Abstract

Inflammasomes are intracellular protein complexes that consist of a molecular sensor, an ASC adaptor protein and the cysteine protease caspase-1. Inflammasomes are involved in cleaving pro-IL-1β and pro-IL-18 into their active forms. Numerous studies show that beside immune cells, non-immune cells can express functional NLRP1, NLRP3, NLRC4, NLRP6, AIM-2, RIG-I and IFI16 inflammasomes. The function of inflammasomes in non-immune cells is still largely unknown, but the inflammasome may be involved in several diseases including infections by pathogens, allergic reactions, age-related macular degeneration, ischemia and reperfusion injury, diabetes and cancer. Whether inflammasome activation is beneficial or detrimental to the development of these diseases is often still unclear. This review gives an overview of the characteristics of inflammasomes in non-immune cells and discusses their function in comparison to inflammasomes in immune cells