GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis in infectious diseases

Abstract:

Pyroptosis is a form of inflammasome-mediated cell programmed death which exhibits cell lysis upon infection. The activation pathway is divided into canonical pathway via caspase-1 activation and noncanonical pathway via caspase-4/5/11 activation. Recent studies have shown that main effector proteins in pyroptosis are gasdermin (also known as GSDM) family members bearing a novel membrane pore-forming activity. Therefore, pyroptosis is also defined as a cell programmed death mediated by gasdermin. There is cross-regulation between pyroptosis and other immune defense mechanisms so that the host clears infection and relieves damage extent during infection. This review focuses on the function of GSDMD in pyroptosis, research progress of pyroptosis in infectious diseases, and the interaction between pyroptosis and other cell programmed death upon infection. We hope that this review can provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of infectious diseases by targeting pyroptosis.