Abstract
Human airway and corneal epithelial cells, which are critically altered during chronic infections mediated by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, specifically express the inflammasome sensor NLRP1. Here, together with a companion study, we report that the NLRP1 inflammasome detects exotoxin A (EXOA), a ribotoxin released by P. aeruginosa type 2 secretion system (T2SS), during chronic infection. Mechanistically, EXOA-driven eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (EEF2) ribosylation and covalent inactivation promote ribotoxic stress and subsequent NLRP1 inflammasome activation, a process shared with other EEF2-inactivating toxins, diphtheria toxin and cholix toxin. Biochemically, irreversible EEF2 inactivation triggers ribosome stress-associated kinases ZAKα- and P38-dependent NLRP1 phosphorylation and subsequent proteasome-driven functional degradation. Finally, cystic fibrosis cells from patients exhibit exacerbated P38 activity and hypersensitivity to EXOA-induced ribotoxic stress-dependent NLRP1 inflammasome activation, a process inhibited by the use of ZAKα inhibitors. Altogether, our results show the importance of P. aeruginosa virulence factor EXOA at promoting NLRP1-dependent epithelial damage and identify ZAKα as a critical sensor of virulence-inactivated EEF2.