Cell
Volume 84, Issue 5, 8 March 1996, Pages 723-734
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Article
Wiskott–Aldrich Syndrome Protein, a Novel Effector for the GTPase CDC42Hs, Is Implicated in Actin Polymerization

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Abstract

The Rho family of GTPases control diverse biological processes, including cell morphology and mitogenesis. We have identified WASP, the protein that is defective in Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome (WAS), as a novel effector for CDC42Hs, but not for the other Rho family members, Rac and Rho. This interaction is dependent on the presence of the G protein–binding domain. Cellular expression of epitope-tagged WASP produces clusters of WASP that are highly enriched in polymerized actin. This clustering is not observed with a C-terminally deleted WASP and is inhibited by coexpression with dominant negative CDC42Hs-N17, but not with dominant negative forms of Rac or Rho. Thus, WASP provides a novel link between CDC42Hs and the actin cytoskeleton, which suggests a molecular mechanism for many of the cellular abnormalities in WAS. The WASP sequence contains two novel domains that are homologous to other proteins involved in actin organization.

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