Pathogenic NLRP3 mutants form constitutively active inflammasomes resulting in immune-metabolic limitation of IL-1β production

• Published in: Nature communications 2024-02, Vol.15 (1), p.1096-1096, Article 1096
• Main Authors: Molina-López, Cristina, Hurtado-Navarro, Laura, García, Carlos J., Angosto-Bazarra, Diego, Vallejo, Fernando, Tapia-Abellán, Ana, Marques-Soares, Joana R., Vargas, Carmen, Bujan-Rivas, Segundo, Tomás-Barberán, Francisco A., Arostegui, Juan I., Pelegrin, Pablo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 13; 13/21; 13/31; 13/95; 38/91; 631/250/1933; 631/250/256/2177; 692/308/575; 692/699/249/2510/2511; 82/58; Amino acids; Animal diseases; Animal models; Constraining; Cryopyrin; Gene expression; Glycolysis; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hypersensitivity; IL-1β; Inflammasomes; Interleukin 18; Lipids; Metabolism; Monocytes; multidisciplinary; NF-κB protein; Nuclear receptors; Priming; Pyroptosis; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44990-0

Cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS) is an autoinflammatory condition resulting from monoallelic NLRP3 variants that facilitate IL-1β production. Although these are gain-of-function variants characterized by hypersensitivity to cell priming, patients with CAPS and animal models of the disease may present inflammatory flares without identifiable external triggers. Here we find that CAPS-associated NLRP3 variants are forming constitutively active inflammasome, which induce increased basal cleavage of gasdermin D, IL-18 release and pyroptosis, with a concurrent basal pro-inflammatory gene expression signature, including the induction of nuclear receptors 4 A. The constitutively active NLRP3-inflammasome of CAPS is responsive to the selective NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950 and its activation is regulated by deubiquitination. Despite their preactivated state, the CAPS inflammasomes are responsive to activation of the NF-κB pathway. NLRP3-inflammasomes with CAPS-associated variants affect the immunometabolism of the myeloid compartment, leading to disruptions in lipids and amino acid pathways and impaired glycolysis, limiting IL-1β production. In summary, NLRP3 variants causing CAPS form a constitutively active inflammasome inducing pyroptosis and IL-18 release without cell priming, which enables the host’s innate defence against pathogens while also limiting IL-1β–dependent inflammatory episodes through immunometabolism modulation. Gain-of-function mutations in NLRP3 result in Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndrome in human patients. Here authors show that although these NLRP3 variants are constitutively active, they preserve their responsiveness to external pro-inflammatory stimuli, and they interfere with the immune-metabolic inflammatory pathways in monocytes.