Characterization of the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein and its role in the disease.

Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome is an X-linked disorder characterized by thrombocytopenia, eczema and immunodeficiency. The Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein and the gene that encodes it have been identified by positional cloning and the protein has been shown to contain a pleckstrin-homology domain, a GTPase-binding domain, a proline-rich region and a verprolin/cofilin homology domain. Subsequent studies suggest that the protein is involved in signal transduction and the regulation of the cytoskeleton.