NLRP7
Encyclopedia
NACHT, LRR and PYD domains-containing protein 7 is a protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 that in humans is encoded by the NLRP7 gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

.

Function

NALPs are cytoplasmic proteins that form a subfamily within the larger CATERPILLER protein family. Most short NALPs, such as NALP7, have an N-terminal pyrin (MEFV
MEFV
MEFV is a human gene that provides instructions for making a protein called pyrin . Pyrin is produced in certain white blood cells that play a role in inflammation and in fighting infection...

) domain (PYD), followed by a NACHT domain
NACHT domain
The NACHT domain is an evolutionary conserved protein domain.This NTPase domain is found in apoptosis proteins as well as those involved in MHC transcription....

, a NACHT-associated domain (NAD), and a C-terminal leucine-rich repeat (LRR
Leucine-rich repeat
A leucine-rich repeat is a protein structural motif that forms an α/β horseshoe fold. It is composed of repeating 20–30 amino acid stretches that are unusually rich in the hydrophobic amino acid leucine...

) region. NALPs are implicated in the activation of proinflammatory caspase
Caspase
Caspases, or cysteine-aspartic proteases or cysteine-dependent aspartate-directed proteases are a family of cysteine proteases that play essential roles in apoptosis , necrosis, and inflammation....

s (e.g., CASP1) via their involvement in multiprotein complexes called inflammasome
Inflammasome
The inflammasome is a multiprotein oligomer consisting of caspase 1, PYCARD, NALP and sometimes caspase 5 . It is expressed in myeloid cells and is a component of the innate immune system. The exact composition of an inflammasome depends on the activator which initiates inflammasome assembly i.e...

s.

Further reading

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