Stage-dependent role of NEK7 in the inactive-to-active conformational transition of NLRP3 monomer (opens in new tab)

Author summary The NLRP3 inflammasome is an important sensor of the innate immune system, whose dysregulation underlies various inflammatory diseases, making it a major therapeutic target. While the protein NEK7 is implicated in NLRP3 inflammasome activation, its precise molecular role has remained unclear. This study used multi-scale simulations to show that NEK7 plays a stage-dependent role in driving the large conformation transition of the NLRP3 monomer from its inactive to active form, a...