WASp in immune-system organization and function

Abstract

The regulation of many immunological events depends on systems that mediate dynamic actin reorganization in response to signals from the cell membrane. The Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp) is the founding member of a family of proteins that have emerged as crucial effectors of Rho GTPases and activators of the cytoskeletal-organizing complex Arp2/3. Now, WASp has been shown to be intimately involved in many pathways that influence the function of the immune system. Disturbances in these systems result in the complex immunodysregulation of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.