Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Oct 15.
Published in final edited form as: Immunity. 2019 Aug 28;51(4):609–624. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2019.08.005

Figure 4: Cell Fate Decisions after Inflammasome Activation.

Figure 4:

(A) Inflammasome activation can lead to the cell fates of “hyperactivation” or “pyroptosis” depending on the cell-type and stimulation. Magnitude and kinetics of caspase-1 activation may affect the rates and quantity of GSDMD cleaved, leading to different magnitude and kinetics of GSDMD pore residency on the plasma membrane. Membrane repair processes serve to remove GSDMD pores from the plasma membrane. (B) Theoretical magnitudes and kinetics of caspase-1 activity, GSDMD cleavage, and IL-1β release for pyroptotic and hyperactive cell fates. Caspase-1 curves are extrapolated based on a comparison of hyperactive neutrophils and pyroptotic macrophages treated with the same stimulus (Boucher et al., 2018). GSDMD pore curves are extrapolated based on a membrane permeability level of hyperactive macrophages treated with oxidized phospholipids or infected with ΔoatA S. aureus compared to pyroptotic macrophages treated with nigericin or FlaTox (a flagellin, anthrax lethal toxin fusion protein) (Evavold et al., 2018). IL-1β release curves are extrapolated based on comparison of hyperactive macrophages treated with oxidized phospholipids and pyroptotic macrophages treated with ATP (Zanoni et al., 2017).