Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) is involved in nucleating of new F-actin. In the autoinhibited form of WASP a region of the N-terminal interacts with a region of its C-terminal. This interaction is disrupted by CDC42 and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) resulting in the active WASP. N-WASP (Neural WASP) belongs to the WASP family of proteins. Human N-WASP stimulates the actin-nucleating activity. N-WASP induces actin polymerization in the Shigella bacterium. This bacterium causes dysentery.
Function
Disease
Mutations in WASP can cause Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome which is a rare inherited disease characterized by immune dysregulation.
Relevance
Structural highlights
