Self-oligomerization of ASC PYD domain prevents the assembly of inflammasome in vitro

Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 2014 Apr;172(8):3902-12. doi: 10.1007/s12010-014-0819-0. Epub 2014 Mar 2.

Abstract

NALP3 inflammasome, which is an inflammatory caspase-activating complex, is composed of three proteins: NALP3 (an NOD-like receptor), an apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC), and caspase-1. NALP3 senses danger signals, while ASC is an adaptor molecule containing two protein interaction modules: pyrin domain (PYD) and caspase recruitment domain (CARD). Caspase-1 is a cysteine protease that uses cysteine as a nucleophile and has a CARD domain for protein interaction. During inflammasome formation, the ASC adaptor acts as a bridge between caspase and NOD-like receptor (NLR) by offering the CARD for CARD-CARD interactions and PYD for PYD-PYD interactions. In the current study, we successfully purified and characterized NALP3 PYD and ASC PYD. The results showed that ASC PYD easily self-oligomerized under physiological conditions, and this self-oligomerization of the ASC PYD prevented complex formation with NALP3 PYD in vitro.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • CARD Signaling Adaptor Proteins
  • Carrier Proteins / chemistry*
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins / chemistry*
  • Humans
  • Inflammasomes / chemistry*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein
  • Protein Multimerization*
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary

Substances

  • CARD Signaling Adaptor Proteins
  • Carrier Proteins
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins
  • Inflammasomes
  • NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein
  • NLRP3 protein, human
  • PYCARD protein, human