NLRP10, short for NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain

Pyrin domain

A pyrin domain is a protein domain and a subclass of protein motif known as the death fold; it allows a pyrin domain containing protein to interact with other proteins that contain a pyrin domain...

 containing 10, is an intracellular

Intracellular

Not to be confused with intercellular, meaning "between cells".In cell biology, molecular biology and related fields, the word intracellular means "inside the cell".It is used in contrast to extracellular...

 protein of mammals that functions in apoptosis

Apoptosis

Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death that may occur in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes and death. These changes include blebbing, cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and chromosomal DNA fragmentation...

 and the immune system

Immune system

An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...

. It is also known as NALP10, NOD8, PAN5, Pynod, and CLR11.1, and is one of 14 pyrin domain containing members of the NOD-like receptor family of cytoplasm

Cytoplasm

The cytoplasm is a small gel-like substance residing between the cell membrane holding all the cell's internal sub-structures , except for the nucleus. All the contents of the cells of prokaryote organisms are contained within the cytoplasm...

ic receptors, although it differs from other NOD-like receptors by lacking the characteristic leucine-rich repeat

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...

 domain. It is also believed that it helps regulate the inflammatory response. NLRP8 reduces inflammatory

Inflammation

Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...

 and innate immune

Innate immune system

The innate immune system, also known as non-specific immune system and secondary line of defence, comprises the cells and mechanisms that defend the host from infection by other organisms in a non-specific manner...

 responses by inhibiting the activity of two proteins associated with the 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...

; caspase-1 and PYCARD

PYCARD

Apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD or ASC is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PYCARD gene.This gene encodes an adaptor protein that is composed of two protein–protein interaction domains: a N-terminal PYRIN-PAAD-DAPIN domain and a C-terminal caspase-recruitment...

.