Caspase-11 Protects Against Bacteria That Escape the Vacuole

Caspases are either apoptotic or inflammatory. The inflammatory Caspases-1 and -11 trigger pyroptosis, a form of programmed cell death. Whereas both can be detrimental in inflammatory disease, only Caspase-1 has an established protective role during infection. Herein, we report that Caspase-11 is required for innate immunity to cytosolic, but not vacuolar, bacteria. While Salmonella typhimurium and Legionella pneumophila normally reside in the vacuole, specific mutants (sifA and sdhA, respectively) that aberrantly enter the cytosol triggered Caspase-11, enhancing clearance of S. typhimurium sifA in vivo. This response did not require NLRP3, NLRC4, or ASC inflammasome pathways. Burkholderia species that naturally invade the cytosol also triggered Caspase-11, protecting mice from lethal challenge with B. thailandensis and B. pseudomallei. Thus, Caspase-11 is critical for surviving exposure to ubiquitous environmental pathogens