Molecular determinants of inflammatory caspase activity upon inflammasomes. Most processes fundamental to life rely on the timely, and regulated, execution of cellular functions. The innate immune system, in which both timing and regulation is paramount, rapidly detects invading microbes and induces a measured and timely antimicrobial response to clear infection. This project aims to address a key knowledge gap by characterising a mechanism for timely and controlled immune system activation and ....Molecular determinants of inflammatory caspase activity upon inflammasomes. Most processes fundamental to life rely on the timely, and regulated, execution of cellular functions. The innate immune system, in which both timing and regulation is paramount, rapidly detects invading microbes and induces a measured and timely antimicrobial response to clear infection. This project aims to address a key knowledge gap by characterising a mechanism for timely and controlled immune system activation and immune cell death via the non-canonical inflammasome. We do not currently understand how some immune pathways are turned on or off. This project will yield fundamental insight into mechanisms of mammalian inflammasome, inflammation and anti-microbial responses.Read moreRead less
A molecular timer for inflammation and cell death. This project aims to improve our understanding of the timely function of the immune system. Most processes fundamental to life rely on the timely execution of cellular functions. One biological system in which timing is paramount is the immune system. Organismal health relies upon this front-line defence system for rapidly detecting invading microbes and inducing an appropriate, and timely, antimicrobial response to clear infection. We do not cu ....A molecular timer for inflammation and cell death. This project aims to improve our understanding of the timely function of the immune system. Most processes fundamental to life rely on the timely execution of cellular functions. One biological system in which timing is paramount is the immune system. Organismal health relies upon this front-line defence system for rapidly detecting invading microbes and inducing an appropriate, and timely, antimicrobial response to clear infection. We do not currently understand how immune responses are temporally coordinated. This proposal aims to address this key knowledge gap by characterising a novel molecular timer that dictates the co-ordinated timing of immune responses and immune cell death. These studies may yield fundamental insight into mammalian anti-microbial mechanisms.Read moreRead less