ABSTRACT: The activation of NF-kappaB by T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling is critical for T-cell activation during the adaptive immune response. CARD11 is a multidomain adapter that is required for TCR signaling to the IkappaB kinase (IKK) complex. During TCR signaling, the region in CARD11 between the coiled-coil and PDZ domains is phosphorylated by protein kinase Ctheta (PKCtheta) in a required step in NF-kappaB activation. In this report, we demonstrate that this region functions as an inhibitory domain (ID) that controls the association of CARD11 with multiple signaling cofactors, including Bcl10, TRAF6, TAK1, IKKgamma, and caspase-8, through an interaction that requires both the caspase recruitment domain (CARD) and the coiled-coil domain. Consistent with the ID-mediated control of their association, we demonstrate that TRAF6 and caspase-8 associate with CARD11 in T cells in a signal-inducible manner. Using an RNA interference rescue assay, we demonstrate that the CARD, linker 1, coiled-coil, linker 3, SH3, linker 4, and GUK domains are each required for TCR signaling to NF-kappaB downstream of ID neutralization. Requirements for the CARD, linker 1, and coiled-coil domains in signaling are consistent with their roles in the association of CARD11 with Bcl10, TRAF6, TAK1, caspase-8, and IKKgamma. Using Bcl10- and MALT1-deficient cells, we show that CARD11 can recruit signaling cofactors independently of one another in a signal-inducible manner.
