NIH R01 · 2024
THE ROLE OF THE NON-CANONICAL INFLAMMASOME IN INNATE IMMUNITY
ABSTRACT Legionella pneumophila is an infectious bacterium that causes Legionnaire’s disease and remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the immunocompromised individuals such as the elderly and cancer patients. Macrophages are the main immune cells that can clear Legionella after activation of the canonical Nlrc4/Naip5 inflammasome. Caspase-11 is a component of the non-canonical inflammasome and mice lacking caspase-11 allow significant Legionella replication in their macrophages. Down-regulation of the homologous caspase in human macrophages increases their permissiveness to Legionella. Our preliminary data show that caspase-11 is necessary for fusion of the…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.