{
  "id": 9213942,
  "title": "MINFLUX-nanoscopy of hNAIP/NLRC4 inflammasome activation in single human macrophages",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/minflux-nanoscopy-of-hnaip-nlrc4-inflammasome-activation-in-single",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.21.753160v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Researchers employed super-resolution imaging technology, such as MINFLUX nanoscopy, to delve into the intricate cellular processes underlying the activation of the NAIP/NLRC4 inflammasome in human macrophages. This investigation focused on the phagocytosis of Yersinia enterocolitica, a specific strain of bacteria that harbors a type III secretion system (T3SS). Upon the phagosome disruption caused by T3SS, the human NAIP (hNAIP) protein, which detects T3SS components and subsequently activates NLRC4, was gathered around bacteria-containing phagosomes.\n\nThe accumulation of NLRC4, NLRP3, and the adapter protein ASC in a dense condensate called a speck was triggered by the disruption of a single phagosome within a macrophage. Over time, inflammasome clusters containing NLRC4 and NLRP3/NLRC4 increasingly incorporated ASC, forming specks. Employing MINFLUX-nanoscopy, scientists were able to visually identify hNAIP at disrupted phagosomes with nanometer precision, revealing critical insights into the organization and number of NLRC4 inflammasome discs within a speck, as well as their hNAIP content.\n\nThe surprising revelation was the significant variation in the number of NLRC4 inflammasome discs, ranging from 35 to 249 per speck. Moreover, only a small fraction of these discs contained hNAIP. These findings substantially enhance our understanding of the activation mechanism of the hNAIP/NLRC4 inflammasome in macrophages ingesting bacteria equipped with a T3SS.",
  "summary": "The biochemical and structural basis of NAIP/NLRC4 inflammasome activation is well understood. Far less well known are the spatiotemporal processes within cells that play a role in the activation of the NAIP/NLRC4 inflammasome. We used super-resolution imaging technology, including MINFLUX nanoscopy, to investigate the human hNAIP/hNLRC4 inflammasome in primary human macrophages following the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}