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Caspase-1 activation by NLRP3 inflammasome dampens IL-33-dependent house dust mite-induced allergic lung inflammation Free
Fahima Madouri1,2, Noëlline Guillou1, Louis Fauconnier2, Tiffany Marchiol2, Nathalie Rouxel2, Pauline Chenuet1, Aurélie Ledru2, Lionel Apetoh3,4,5, François Ghiringhelli3,4,5, Mathias Chamaillard6, Song Guo Zheng7,8, Fabrice Trovero2, Valérie F.J. Quesniaux1, Bernhard Ryffel1, and Dieudonnée Togbe1,2,*
1Laboratory of Experimental and Molecular Immunology and Neurogenetics (INEM), UMR 7355 CNRS-University of Orleans, F-45071 Orleans-Cedex2, France
2Artimmune SAS, 45100 Orléans, France
3Faculté de Médecine, University of Bourgogne, Dijon, France
4INSERM, U866, Dijon, France
5Centre Georges François Leclerc, Dijon, France
6CIIL – Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, INSERM U1019, Institut Pasteur, Lille, France
7Division of Rheumatology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
8Clinical Immunology Section, Third Affiliated Hospital at Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China *Correspondence to:Dieudonnée Togbe, E-mail: dieudo.togbe@artimmune.com, dtogbe@cnrs-orleans.fr
J Mol Cell Biol, Volume 7, Issue 4, August 2015, 351-365,  https://doi.org/10.1093/jmcb/mjv012
Keyword: house dust mite, allergic asthma, caspase-1, inflammasomes, IL-33, spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk), uric acid

The cysteine protease caspase-1 (Casp-1) contributes to innate immunity through the assembly of NLRP3, NLRC4, AIM2, and NLRP6 inflammasomes. Here we ask whether caspase-1 activation plays a regulatory role in house dust mite (HDM)-induced experimental allergic airway inflammation. We report enhanced airway inflammation in caspase-1-deficient mice exposed to HDM with a marked eosinophil recruitment, increased expression of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, as well as full-length and bioactive IL-33. Furthermore, mice deficient for NLRP3 failed to control eosinophil influx in the airways and displayed augmented Th2 cytokine and chemokine levels, suggesting that the NLPR3 inflammasome complex controls HDM-induced inflammation. IL-33 neutralization by administration of soluble ST2 receptor inhibited the enhanced allergic inflammation, while administration of recombinant IL-33 during challenge phase enhanced allergic inflammation in caspase-1-deficient mice. Therefore, we show that caspase-1, NLRP3, and ASC, but not NLRC4, contribute to the upregulation of allergic lung inflammation. Moreover, we cannot exclude an effect of caspase-11, because caspase-1-deficient mice are deficient for both caspases. Mechanistically, absence of caspase-1 is associated with increased expression of IL-33, uric acid, and spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) production. This study highlights a critical role of caspase-1 activation and NLPR3/ASC inflammasome complex in the down-modulation of IL-33 in vivo and in vitro, thereby regulating Th2 response in HDM-induced allergic lung inflammation.