| First Author | Tzeng TC | Year | 2016 |
| Journal | Cell Rep | Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 2 | Pages | 571-82 |
| PubMed ID | 27346360 | Mgi Jnum | J:238511 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5822959 | Doi | 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.06.011 |
| Citation | Tzeng TC, et al. (2016) A Fluorescent Reporter Mouse for Inflammasome Assembly Demonstrates an Important Role for Cell-Bound and Free ASC Specks during In Vivo Infection. Cell Rep 16(2):571-82 |
| abstractText | Inflammasome activation is associated with numerous diseases. However, in vivo detection of the activated inflammasome complex has been limited by a dearth of tools. We have developed transgenic mice that ectopically express the fluorescent adaptor protein, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) and characterized the formation of assembled inflammasome complexes ("specks") in primary cells and tissues. In addition to hematopoietic cells, we have found that a stromal population in the lung tissues formed specks during the early phase of influenza infection, whereas myeloid cells showed speck formation after 2 days. In a peritonitis and group B streptococcus infection model, a higher percentage of neutrophils formed specks at early phases of infection, while dendritic cells formed specks at later time points. Furthermore, speck-forming cells underwent pyroptosis and extensive release of specks to the extracellular milieu in vivo. These data underscore the importance of free specks during inflammatory processes in vivo. |
