Regulation of adaptive immunity by the NLRP3 inflammasome

It is well known that the innate immune system can induce and regulate the development of adaptive immunity. The NLRP3 inflammasome is a multiprotein complex that controls the caspase-1 activation step that is a pre-requisite for the maturation of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18. Recent findings showed that the NLRP3 inflammasome not only is an innate responder to pathogenic and danger signals, but also can affect the adaptive immune response. Here we review the role of NLRP3 inflammasome in regulating adaptive immunity.