Inflammasome Sensor NLRP1 Controls Rat Macrophage Susceptibility to Toxoplasma gondii
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Cirelli-2014-Inflammasome Sensor.pdf
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Author(s)
Cirelli, Kimberly
Gorfu, Gezahegn
Hassan, Musa A.
Printz, Morton
Crown, Devorah
Leppla, Stephen H.
Grigg, Michael E.
Saeij, Jeroen
Moayeri, Mahtab
Date Issued
March 2014
Journal
PLoS Pathogens
Publisher
Public Library of Science
Citation
Cirelli, Kimberly M., Gezahegn Gorfu, Musa A. Hassan, Morton Printz, Devorah Crown, Stephen H. Leppla, Michael E. Grigg, Jeroen P. J. Saeij, and Mahtab Moayeri. “Inflammasome Sensor NLRP1 Controls Rat Macrophage Susceptibility to Toxoplasma Gondii.” Edited by Christopher M. Sassetti. PLoS Pathog 10, no. 3 (March 13, 2014): e1003927.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite that infects a wide range of warm-blooded species. Rats vary in their susceptibility to this parasite. The Toxo1 locus conferring Toxoplasma resistance in rats was previously mapped to a region of chromosome 10 containing Nlrp1. This gene encodes an inflammasome sensor controlling macrophage sensitivity to anthrax lethal toxin (LT) induced rapid cell death (pyroptosis). We show here that rat strain differences in Toxoplasma infected macrophage sensitivity to pyroptosis, IL-1β/IL-18 processing, and inhibition of parasite proliferation are perfectly correlated with NLRP1 sequence, while inversely correlated with sensitivity to anthrax LT-induced cell death. Using recombinant inbred rats, SNP analyses and whole transcriptome gene expression studies, we narrowed the candidate genes for control of Toxoplasma-mediated rat macrophage pyroptosis to four genes, one of which was Nlrp1. Knockdown of Nlrp1 in pyroptosis-sensitive macrophages resulted in higher parasite replication and protection from cell death. Reciprocally, overexpression of the NLRP1 variant from Toxoplasma-sensitive macrophages in pyroptosis-resistant cells led to sensitization of these resistant macrophages. Our findings reveal Toxoplasma as a novel activator of the NLRP1 inflammasome in rat macrophages.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1003927
