NLRP3 and infection: Subsequent to the priming step, the NLRP3-inflammasome assembly is triggered by NLRP3-activating stimuli, which range from metabolic dysregulation (i.e., exposure to uric acid crystals, cholesterol crystals, alum, or extracellular ATP) to infection (i.e., bacterial RNAs, pore-forming toxins, and cytosolically delivered proteins via T3SS/T4SS).