Specific
families of pattern recognition receptors (PRR) are responsible for detecting
various pathogens and generating innate immune responses.
The
intracellular NOD-like receptor (NLR) family contains more than 20
members in mammals and plays a pivotal role in the recognition of
intracellular ligands.
NOD1 and NOD2, two prototypic NLRs, sense the
cytosolic presence of the bacterial peptidoglycan fragments that escaped
from endosomal compartments, driving the activation of NF-{kappa}B and
MAPK, cytokine production and apoptosis.
On the other hand, a different
set of NLRs induces caspase-1 activation through the assembly of
multiprotein complexes called inflammasomes.
The activated of caspase-1
regulates maturation of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1B, IL-18 and
drives pyroptosis.
