The versatile roles of CARDs in regulating apoptosis, inflammation, and NF-[kappa]B signaling

• Published in: Apoptosis (London) 2015-02, Vol.20 (2), p.174
• Main Authors: Kao, Wen-pin, Yang, Chao-yu, Su, Tsung-wei, Wang, Yin-ting, Lo, Yu-chih, Lin, Su-chang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Classification; Proteins
• ISSN: 1360-8185; 1573-675X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10495-014-1062-4

Issue Title: Special Issue: The Domains of Apoptosis and Inflammation CARD subfamily is the second largest subfamily in the DD superfamily that plays important roles in regulating various signaling pathways, including but not limited to NF-kB activation signaling, apoptosis signaling and inflammatory signaling. The CARD subfamily contains 33 human CARD-containing proteins, regulating the assembly of many signaling complexes, including apoptosome, inflammsome, nodosome, the CBM complex, PIDDosome, the TRAF2 complex, and the MAVS signalosome, by homotypic CARD-CARD interactions. The mechanism of how CARDs find the right binding partner to form a specific complex remains unclear. This review uses different classification schemes to update the classification of CARD-containing proteins. Combining the classification based on domain structures, functions, associated signaling complexes, and roles would help better understand the structural and function diversity of CARD-containing proteins. This review also summarizes recent structural studies on CARDs. Especially, the CARD-containing complexes can be divided into the homodimeric, heterodimeric, oligomeric, filamentous CARD complexes and the CARD-ubiquitin complex. This review will give an overview of the versatile roles of CARDs in regulating signaling transduction, as well as the therapeutic drugs targeting CARD-containing proteins.