NOD2 seems to have a more specialized role, being strongly expressed in the Paneth cells of the gut, where it regulates the expression of potent antimicrobial peptides such as the αand β-defensins (see Chapter 2). Consistent with this, loss-of-function mutations in NOD2 in humans are associated with the inflammatory bowel condition known as Crohn’s disease (discussed in Chapter 15). Some patients with this condition carry mutations in the LRR domain of NOD2 that impair its ability to sense MDP and activate NFκB. This is thought to diminish the production of defensins and other antimicrobial peptides, thereby weakening the natural barrier function of the intestinal epithelium and leading to the inflammation characteristic of this disease. Gain-of-function mutations in human NOD2 are associated with the inflammatory disorders early-onset sarcoidosis and Blau syndrome, which are characterized by spontaneous inflammation in tissues such as the liver, or in the joints, eyes, and skin. Activating mutations in the NOD domain seem to promote the signaling cascade in the absence of ligand, leading to an inappropriate inflammatory response in the absence of pathogens. Besides NOD1 and NOD2, there are other members of the NOD family, such as the proteins NLRX1 and NLRC5, but their function is currently less well understood.
3-9 NLRP proteins react to infection or cellular damage through an inflammasome to induce cell death and inflammation.
Another subfamily of NLR proteins has a pyrin domain in place of the CARD domain at their amino termini, and is known as the NLRP family. Pyrin domains are structurally related to the CARD and TIR domains, and interact with other pyrin domains (Fig. 3.19). Humans have 14 NLR proteins containing pyrin domains. The best characterized is NLRP3 (also known as NALP3 or cryopyrin), although the molecular details of its activation are still under active investigation. NLRP3 resides in an inactive form in the cytoplasm,
Potassium ef˜ux induces NLRP3 forms oligomers with dissociation of chaperones ASC causing proteolytic that keep NLRP3 in an cleavage of pro-caspase 1 inactive conformation
Pattern recognition by cells of the innate immune system.