Apaf-1/caspase-4 pyroptosome: a mediator of mitochondrial permeability transition-triggered pyroptosis

In a recent paper in Cell Metabolism,Xu et al.provide new insights whether and how caspase-4/11 involves in pyroptotic cell death implicated in non infective diseases.They discovered a novel mechanism of GSDME-dependent pyroptosis,which was induced by mitochondrial permeability transition(MPT)-activated Apaf-1/caspase-4 pyroptosome assembly.1 These findings provide impor-tant implications for understanding the pathogenesis of chole-static liver failure(Fig.1).