Regulation of gasdermins in pyroptosis and cytokine release

Manipulation of cancer cell pyroptosis for therapeutic approaches: challenges and opportunities

Remarkable advances have been achieved following discoveries that gasdermins are the executioners of pyroptosis. The pyroptotic process consists a subcellular permeabilization phase and a cell lysis phase, the latter of which is irreversible. Besides immune cells, pyroptosis has also been observed in cancer cells, which exhibit distinct mechanisms compared to canonical immune cell pyroptosis. Although chronic cancer cell pyroptosis fuels tumor growth, intense pyroptotic cell death in tumor cells enhances anticancer immunity by promoting killer lymphocytes infiltration. Triggering pyroptosis in cancer cells is emerging as a promising strategy for cancer treatment. In this review, we introduce the process of cancer cell pyroptosis and its role in antitumor immunity, discuss the translation of these insights into therapies, and highlight current challenges and opportunities in the investigation of cancer cell pyroptosis.

Emerging roles of palmitoylation in pyroptosis

Pyroptosis is a lytic, proinflammatory type of programmed cell death crucial for the immune response to pathogen infections and internal danger signals. Gasdermin D (GSDMD) acts as the pore-forming protein in pyroptosis following inflammasome activation. While recent research has improved our understanding of pyroptosis activation and execution, many aspects regarding the molecular mechanisms controlling inflammasome and GSDMD activation remain to be elucidated. A growing body of literature has shown that S-palmitoylation, a reversible post-translational modification (PTM) that attaches palmitate to cysteine residues, contributes to multi-layered regulation of pyroptosis. This review summarizes the emerging roles of S-palmitoylation in pyroptosis research with a focus on mechanisms that regulate NLRP3 inflammasome and GSDMD activation.

Harnessing Pyroptosis for Cancer Immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapy is a novel pillar of cancer treatment that harnesses the immune system to fight tumors and generally results in robust antitumor immunity. Although immunotherapy has achieved remarkable clinical success for some patients, many patients do not respond, underscoring the need to develop new strategies to promote antitumor immunity. Pyroptosis is an immunostimulatory type of regulated cell death that activates the innate immune system. A hallmark of pyroptosis is the release of intracellular contents such as cytokines, alarmins, and chemokines that can stimulate adaptive immune activation. Recent studies suggest that pyroptosis promotes antitumor immunity. Here, we review the mechanisms by which pyroptosis can be induced and highlight new strategies to induce pyroptosis in cancer cells for antitumor defense. We discuss how pyroptosis modulates the tumor microenvironment to stimulate adaptive immunity and promote antitumor immunity. We also suggest research areas to focus on for continued development of pyroptosis as an anticancer treatment. Pyroptosis-based anticancer therapies offer a promising new avenue for treating immunologically 'cold' tumors.