Nature 552, 355–361 (2017)

Activation of innate immunity and the NLRP3 inflammasome has an important influence on the induction and progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In Nature, Heneka and colleagues show that ASC specks, a signature characteristic of activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, are associated with both human AD and mouse AD. ASC specks bind to and aggregate amyloid-β in vitro and in vivo. Macrophages, such as microglia found in the brain, release ASC specks in response to exposure to amyloid-β. Collectively, these findings suggest that ASC specks are released from activated microglia that seed deposition of amyloid-β at distal sites throughout the brain. Targeting ASC specks with a specific antibody diminishes their ability to aggregate amyloid-β, a finding that might offer clues to novel therapies for AD.