The many faces of WAS protein
Featherstone, C.
Science 275(5296): 27-28
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-8075 PMID: 8999530 Document Number: 479044
The protein produced by the gene defective in Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) may have many functions, interacting with both the cell's internal skeleton and its growth-control pathways. The fact that a single errant gene could cause everything from bleeding problems to eczema to cancer has been a puzzle to immunologists studying this rare hereditary disease. Recent studies suggest that WASp, the protein made by the gene that is defective in WAS patients, is a multifaceted molecule that can interact with both the cell's internal skeleton and the signaling systems that govern a cell's responses to its environment. According to Tomas Kirchhausen, whose group at Harvard Medical School is studying the protein, WASp seems to connect the cytoskeleton and signal transduction pathways. If the functioning of the WASp protein is impaired by mutation, it could mean the failure of both immune responses and the cell's normal growth-control systems.