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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Mar 27.
Published in final edited form as: Immunol Rev. 2011 Sep;243(1):206–214. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065X.2011.01044.x

Figure 2. Pyroptosis promotes clearance of intracellular microbes.

Figure 2

Schematic of the role of pyroptosis in clearing intracellular pathogens. Numerous pathogens have the ability to replicate within macrophages (upper panel), eventually being released in greater numbers. Although neutrophils have the capacity to kill many macrophage tropic pathogens, the intracellular niche within the macrophage compartment permits these pathogens to continue a pathogenic replicative cycle. Intracellular pathogens that are detected by an inflammasome (lower panel) activate Caspase-1, resulting in pyroptosis. This releases the bacteria from the macrophage prior to replication, effectively short-circuiting the pathogenic replicative cycle. Released bacteria are thereby exposed to additional clearance mechanisms, including phagocytosis by neutrophils.