IFNB1 and infection: These results indicate that the increase in IFN-β levels observed in wild-type BMDMs during ΔpknF mutant infection is solely due to increase in cell death induced by this mutant; because, in BMDMs deficient in ASC the ΔpknF mutant showed no increase in cell death compared to Mtb and then also no significant increase in production of IFN-β when compared to Mtb (S7C Fig).