Practice question

Pyroptosis is an inflammatory form of programmed cell death driven by inflammatory caspases, principally caspase-1. These caspases cleave gasdermin D, whose N-terminal fragment forms pores in the plasma membrane. Pore formation leads to cell swelling, lysis and release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18. Pyroptosis is a key effector mechanism of innate immune defense against intracellular pathogens.