CARD-CC family

The CARD-CC protein family is defined by an evolutionary conserved CARD and a coiled-coil (CC) domain. Coiled-coils (CC) act as oligomerization domains for many proteins such as structural and motor proteins, and transcription factors. This means that monomers are converted to macromolecular complexes by polymerization. The protein family is ancient and can be found as far back as Cnidaria, but has almost exclusively been studied in humans and mice. Notably, the protein family is absent in insects and nematodes, which makes it impossible to study its function in the most popular invertebrate model organisms (Drosophila and C. elegans). In humans and other jawed vertebrates, the family consists of CARD9 and the three "CARD-containing MAGUK protein" (CARMA) proteins CARD11 (CARMA1), CARD14 (CARMA2) and CARD10 (CARMA3).
Functions.
A common theme for all four CARD-CC family proteins in mice and humans is that they are activated by different protein kinase C isoforms, and recruit BCL10 and the paracaspase MALT1 upon activation, which results in downstream activation of NF-κB transcriptional activity and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The different CARD-CC family members show different expression pattern and gain- or loss of function mutation in the different CARD-CC family proteins cause different phenotypes.