Regulation of signaling by cooperative assembly formation in mammalian innate immunity signalosomes by molecular mimics

•Signaling by cooperative assembly formation (SCAF) is ubiquitous in innate immunity pathways, including inflammasome and Toll-like receptor pathways.•SCAF can be regulated by proteins that mimic the signaling components; they can be produced by mammalian cells and pathogens.•The mechanisms of SCAF regulation by protein mimics may include capping or incorporating into filamentous assemblies.