Abstract
Activation of NLRP3 inflammasome is important for effective host defense against invading pathogen. Together with apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing CARD domain (ASC), NLRP3 induces the cleavage of caspase-1 to facilitate the maturation of interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), an important pro-inflammatory cytokine. IL-1β subsequently plays critical roles in inflammatory responses by activating immune cells and inducing many secondary pro-inflammatory cytokines. Although the role of NLRP3 inflammasome in immune response is well defined, the mechanism underlying its assembly modulated by pathogen infection remains largely unknown. Here, we identified a novel mechanism by which enterovirus 71 (EV71) facilitates the assembly of NLRP3 inflammasome. Our results show that EV71 induces production and secretion of IL-1β in macrophages and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) through activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. EV71 replication and protein synthesis are required for NLRP3-mediated activation of IL-1β. Interestingly, EV71 3D protein, a RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) was found to stimulate the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, the cleavage of pro-caspase-1, and the release of IL-1β through direct binding to NLRP3. More importantly, 3D interacts with NLRP3 to facilitate the assembly of inflammasome complex by forming a 3D-NLRP3-ASC ring-like structure, resulting in the activation of IL-1β. These findings demonstrate a new role of 3D as an important player in the activation of inflammatory response, and identify a novel mechanism underlying the modulation of inflammasome assembly and function induced by pathogen invasion.