Biochemical and microscopic analysis of inflammasome complex formation

Inflammasomes are multiprotein signaling platforms responsible for the maturation of pro-IL-1β and pro-IL-18 as well as the induction of an inflammatory cell death termed pyroptosis. Most inflammasomes consist of an upstream sensor, in most cases an adaptor protein (ASC) and inflammatory caspases such as caspase-1. Upon activation, sensor proteins oligomerize with adaptor proteins, forming large complexes called specks. These complexes can be stabilized and detected by Western blotting or fluorescence microscopy providing a direct evidence of inflammasome activation. Here we describe protocols for two complementary methods for detecting inflammasome complexes: (1) biochemical isolation and detection of ASC oligomers by Western blot analysis and (2) microscopic visualization of active caspase-1-ASC complexes. These protocols have successfully been applied in our recent study to unveil new regulatory mechanisms for different inflammasomes including the DNA sensor AIM2 (Erttmann et al., 2016).