MLKL and infection: In nature, inflammatory response may help defense cells to recruit more defense cells into the infection loci and to sustain the infection; however, in confront of over-growth of pathogens, the host defense cells in susceptible subjects may undergo several programmed cell deaths, e.g. RIPK3-MLKL-mediated necroptosis51, caspase-1 dependent pyroptosis after its activation by inflammasomes52 and apoptosis53.