A recent study byLindman and colleagueshighlights a cell type-specific function of receptor-interacting kinase 3 (RIPK3) in astrocytes during neurotropic flavivirus infection. Despite a proinflammatory transcriptional profile, RIPK3 in astrocytes can attenuate neuroinflammation and reduce leucocyte infiltration through upregulation of Serpin clade A member 3N (SerpinA3N), protecting mice from excessive neuroinflammation and increasing overall survival.