Beyond Degradation: Ubiquitination of the Inflammasome Regulates Assembly and Activity
Joseph S. Bednash and Rama K. Mallampalli
from: SUMOylation and Ubiquitination: Current and Emerging Concepts (Edited by: Van G. Wilson). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2019) Pages: 379-388.
Abstract
First described in 2002, the inflammasome is a molecular platform that facilitates the maturation of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin (IL)-1b and IL-18. Now almost two decades since its discovery, understanding of inflammasome form and function has expanded greatly. Inflammasome-driven inflammation has been implicated in numerous human diseases including inflammatory arthritis, colitis, colorectal cancer, atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative disease, and metabolic disorders including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and diabetes mellitus. As such, inflammasome regulation is of particular interest and relevance in the search for novel therapies. Numerous molecular processes have been implicated as key regulators of inflammasome function, and its regulation is multilayered, implicating the importance of this signaling pathway. Here, we focus on post-translational ubiquitin (Ub) modification as a key mechanism of inflammasome modulation. In regulating the inflammasomes, ubiquitin provides a molecular signature for inflammasome activity as well as functioning as a marker for protein degradation read more ...
