Ageing’s culprit - inflammasomes as supramolecular complexes and biomolecular condensates
My talk will focus on structures and functions of the fascinating system of inflammasomes, which are cytosolic supramolecular complexes that activate caspase-1 and other inflammatory caspases. Upon caspase activation, pro-cytokines in the interleukin-1 family and the pore-forming protein GSDMD are proteolytically processed, resulting in cytokine maturation, and formation of large transmembrane GSDMD pores to release cytokines and to induce the lytic cell death pyroptosis.
The inflammasome system offers a variety of proteins that form large oligomers, often as peripheral or integral transmembrane proteins, to drive enzymatic chemistry or other cellular processes. At least sometimes, these oligomerization processes are preceded by phase separation to increase the local concentration and to promote the supramolecular complex assembly and the resulting chemistry.
We use a combination of biochemistry, cryo-electron microscopy, cellular imaging and inflammasome assays to elucidate the structures and functions of inflammasomes.
Hosted by Professor Zheng Shi