Inflammasomes in cancer: A double-edged sword

Ryan Kolb, Guang Hui Liu, Ann M. Janowski, Fayyaz S. Sutterwala, Weizhou Zhang

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

219 Scopus citations

Abstract

Chronic inflammatory responses have long been observed to be associated with various types of cancer and play decisive roles at different stages of cancer development. Inflammasomes, which are potent inducers of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 during inflammation, are large protein complexes typically consisting of a Nod-like receptor (NLR), the adapter protein ASC, and Caspase-1. During malignant transformation or cancer therapy, the inflammasomes are postulated to become activated in response to danger signals arising from the tumors or from therapy-induced damage to the tumor or healthy tissue. The activation of inflammasomes plays diverse and sometimes contrasting roles in cancer promotion and therapy depending on the specific context. Here we summarize the role of different inflammasome complexes in cancer progression and therapy. Inflammasome components and pathways may provide novel targets to treat certain types of cancer; however, using such agents should be cautiously evaluated due to the complex roles that inflammasomes and pro-inflammatory cytokines play in immunity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)12-20
Number of pages9
JournalProtein and Cell
Volume5
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2014
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • cancer
  • inflammasome
  • inflammation

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Inflammasomes in cancer: A double-edged sword'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this