Retrotransposon RNA Triggers NLRC4 Inflammasome Formation: Study

Researchers identify a sensor that sets off inflammation in the absence of infection when it detects RNA from the mobile genetic elements.

Written byRachael Moeller Gorman

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Inflammasomes are huge, multi-protein complexes inside cells that spark inflammation when they sense danger. Inflammasomes can also sound the alarm when no pathogens are present, contributing to diseases such as multiple sclerosis. There are many different types of inflammasomes, and the mechanisms behind how some of them form under so-called sterile conditions has been a mystery.

In a new paper published December 3 in Science Immunology, Jayakrishna Ambati of the University of Virginia School of Medicine and his team show that RNA transcribed from a type of mobile genetic element called SINE causes the NLRC4 inflammasome to form when there’s no infection, and for the first time, they reveal a receptor that senses this rogue RNA. Inhibiting NLRC4 inflammasome activation in an animal model of atrophic macular degeneration (AMD) prevented retinal degeneration.

This work “could open up more therapeutic targets for treating dry AMD because now there are a few ...

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Meet the Author

Rachael Moeller Gorman
After earning a bachelor’s degree in biology and neuroscience from Williams College, Rachael spent two years studying the tiny C. elegans worm as a lab tech at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University. She then returned to school to get a master’s degree in environmental studies from Brown University, and subsequently worked as an intern at Scientific American, Discover magazine, and the Annals of Improbable Research, the originators of the yearly Ig Nobel prizes. She now freelances for both scientific and lay publications, and loves telling the stories behind the science. Find her at rachaelgorman.com or on Instagram @rachaelmoellergorman.
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