| abstract |
Described herein is a novel and its product, WIP, which associates with WASP. The subject invention relates to the isolated WIP gene or cDNA (see Figures 1A-1B); nucleic acid probes, which can be fragments of the WIP gene or WIP cDNA or full-length; nucleic acid primers, which are fragments of WIP cDNA or the WIP gene; methods of assessing cells (e.g., for diagnostic purposes) for the presence of WIP DNA, (e.g., wildtype or mutated) or for the absence or occurrence of a reduced level of WIP DNA; WIP mRNA; WIP or WIP fragments, such as those which are useful to generate antibodies which bind WIP; and antibodies which bind WIP. Also the subjects of this invention are methods of treating conditions in which WIP and/or WASP DNA or protein is deficient (in quantity) and/or defective (e.g., mutated/altered) such that an individual is adversely affected (e.g., has Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome); methods of altering or regulating WASP and its functions; and methods of altering actin content, actin polymerization or both in cells, such as human lymphoid cells (e.g., β lymphocytes). A further subject of this invention is an assay to identify drugs which alter (e.g., enhance) the activity of WIP or expression of WIP DNA. |