title: Cutting edge: CATERPILLER: a large family of mammalian genes containing CARD, pyrin, nucleotide-binding, and leucine-rich repeat domains.
abstract: Large mammalian proteins containing a nucleotide-binding domain (NBD) and C-terminal leucine-rich repeats (LRR) similar in structure to plant disease resistance proteins have been suggested as critical in innate immunity. Our interest in CIITA, a NBD/LRR protein, and recent reports linking mutations in two other NBD/LRR proteins to inflammatory disorders have prompted us to perform a search for other members. Twenty-two known and novel NBD/LRR genes are spread across eight human chromosomes, with multigene clusters occurring on 11, 16, and 19. Most of these are telomeric. Their N termini vary, but most have a pyrin domain. The genomic organization demonstrates a high degree of conservation of the NBD- and LRR-encoding exons. Except for CIITA, all the predicted NBD/LRR proteins are likely ATP-binding proteins. Some have broad tissue expression, whereas others are restricted to myeloid cells. The implications of these data on origins, expression, and function of these genes are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Harton
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Linhoff
authors.forename: Jinghua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jenny P-Y
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Ting
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005091:Exons; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000276:immunology; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007438:Introns; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D007930:Leucine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000090263:Leucine-Rich Repeat Proteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family / Q000276:immunology*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010802:Phylogeny; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary / Q000235:genetics; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D011685:Purine Nucleotides / Q000737:chemistry*; D000071198:Pyrin; D020449:Repetitive Sequences, Amino Acid; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D000090263:Leucine-Rich Repeat Proteins; C000604192:MEFV protein, human; C083728:MHC class II transactivator protein; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D011685:Purine Nucleotides; D000071198:Pyrin; D015534:Trans-Activators; D007930:Leucine