炎症复合体(inflammasome)是胞浆内一组复杂的多蛋白复合体,是胱天蛋白酶(caspase)-1活化所必需的反应平台,调控白介素(interleukin,IL)-1β、IL-18、IL-33等促炎细胞因子的加工及活化,参与天然免疫系统的激活.核苷酸结合寡聚化结构域样受体(nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain-like receptors,NLRs)是胞浆内重要的模式识别受体,能感知胞内病原微生物产物及代谢性应激,起始炎症复合体的组装,是构成炎症复合体的核心成分.综述了炎症复合体和NLRs研究现状及其在炎症反应中的作用.
Inflammasome is a multiprotein complex and oligomeric platform that dimerizes and thereby activates cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease(caspase)-1.Caspase-1,also known as the interleukin(IL)-1β-converting enzyme(ICE),is the prototypical member of the inflammatory caspases and involved in regulating maturation of IL-1β,IL-18,and IL-33,key cytokines for the recruitment and engagement of inflammatory cells.Nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain-like receptors(NLRs),which detect intracellular pathogens or other 'alarms',promote the assembly of inflammasome.Some evolutionary aspects and biochemical studies were reviewed,underlining the role of inflammasomes in infection as well as inflammatory diseases.