A Family of WASPs

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Abstract
Mutation of a single X-linked gene, WASP, causes the features of the Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome, an immunodeficiency disorder of T-cells and B-cells. The mutation disables the Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP), a member of a family of proteins that regulate the actin cytoskeleton. Without these proteins, cells can neither maintain their shape nor move. There is recent evidence that certain microorganisms attach themselves to host cells by using members of the WASP family.