The two faces of the inflammasome adaptor ASC in epithelial skin carcinogenesis

The development of tumours is a multistep process during which cells acquire the capability to sustain proliferation, evade growth suppressors and/or resist cell death. One factor, which is increasingly recognised to influence tumour progression, is the inflammatory environment of the tumour. The responsible molecular mechanisms and signalling pathways are only beginning to emerge. One major pathway able to induce potent inflammation is the activation of the inflammasome and the subsequent secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18. Both these cytokines have been implicated in tumour-genesis/progression. However, evidence for the role of inflammasomes in this process is still scarce and mainly derived from murine colitis associated tumour models. In this short review we discuss current knowledge on the role of inflammasomes in epithelial cancer of the gut and skin with a special focus on the complex role of the inflammasome adaptor ASC in epithelial skin carcinogenesis.