Children's Medical Center Corporation

Ines M Anton

Raif S Geha

Narayanaswamy Ramesh

Miguel A De La Fuente

John H Hartwig

Described herein is a novel gene and its product, WIP, which associates with WASP. The subject invention relates to the isolated WIP gene or cDNA and transgenic mammals that have the WIP gene disrupted in their genome. Also the subject of this invention are methods of treating conditions or diseases in which WIP and/or WASP DNA or protein is deficient and/or defective, for example, mutated or altered, such that an individual is adversely affected. Also described are methods of altering or regulating WIP and its functions in a mammal or in a cell of a mammal, for example in a lymphocyte. A further subject of this invention is an assay to identify drugs which alter the activity of WIP or expression of WIP DNA.

WIP, a WASP-associated protein

Described herein is a novel gene and its product, WIP, which associates with WASP. The subject invention relates to the isolated WIP gene or cDNA (see FIGS. A- B); 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 subject 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., &bgr; 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.

Growing community of inventors

Turin, Italy

Ines M Anton