Alternative functions for the multifarious inflammasome.

The inflammasome has been mainly studied in innate immune cells in which it senses microbes and cellular damage, and induces secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This process induces an inflammatory response that is critical for the resolution of infections and repair of tissue damage following injury. Recent studies indicate that inflammasome complex formation also participates in many other cellular and physiological processes beyond modulation of inflammation, such as autophagy, metabolism, eicosanoids production, and phagosome maturation.