Discovery of Potent, Orally Bioavailable, Tricyclic NLRP3 Inhibitors.

NLRP3 is a molecular sensor recognizing a wide range of danger signals. Its activation leads to the assembly of an inflammasome that allows for activation of caspase-1 and subsequent maturation of IL-1β and IL-18, as well as cleavage of Gasdermin-d and pyroptotic cell death. The NLRP3 inflammasome has been implicated in a plethora of diseases including gout, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer.

The T-cell fingerprint of MALT1 paracaspase revealed by selective inhibition.

Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma translocation protein 1 (MALT1) is essential for immune responses triggered by antigen receptors but the contribution of its paracaspase activity is not fully understood. Here, we studied how MALT1 proteolytic function regulates T-cell activation and fate after engagement of the T-cell receptor pathway. We show that MLT-827, a potent and selective MALT1 paracaspase inhibitor, does not prevent the initial phase of T-cell activation, in contrast to the pan-protein kinase C inhibitor AEB071.

Two Antagonistic MALT1 Auto-Cleavage Mechanisms Reveal a Role for TRAF6 to Unleash MALT1 Activation.

The paracaspase MALT1 has arginine-directed proteolytic activity triggered by engagement of immune receptors. Recruitment of MALT1 into activation complexes is required for MALT1 proteolytic function. Here, co-expression of MALT1 in HEK293 cells, either with activated CARD11 and BCL10 or with TRAF6, was used to explore the mechanism of MALT1 activation at the molecular level.

Cleavage by MALT1 induces cytosolic release of A20.

The MALT1 paracaspase has arginine-directed proteolytic activity. A20 is a dual ubiquitin-editing enzyme involved in termination of NF-κB signaling. Upon T- or B-cell receptor engagement human (h) A20 is cleaved by MALT1 after arginine 439, yielding an N-terminal fragment (hA20p50) and a C-terminal one (hA20p37).

Peptidomics and proteomics studies of transformed lymphocytes from patients mutated for the eukaryotic initiation factor 2B.

Mutations in the ubiquitous factor eIF2B involved in protein synthesis and its regulation have been reported in human brain genetic disorders. In order to analyse the functional consequences of the mutations and to find specific biomarkers of eIF2B-related disorders, proteomics and peptidomics studies were performed on lymphoblasts from eIF2B-mutated patients versus healthy patients. Curiously, following two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass fingerprints, mutations in the eIF2B complex did not significantly affect the proteome of the mutated lymphoblasts extracts.