Structure of the N-WASP EVH1 domain-WIP complex: insight into the molecular basis of Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome

Missense mutants that cause the immune disorder Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS) map primarily to the Enabled/VASP homology 1 (EVH1) domain of the actin regulatory protein WASP. This domain has been implicated in both peptide and phospholipid binding. We show here that the N-WASP EVH1 domain does not bind phosphatidyl inositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate, as previously reported, but does specifically bind a 25 residue motif from the WASP Interacting Protein (WIP). The NMR structure of the complex reveals a novel recognition mechanism-the WIP ligand, which is far longer than canonical EVH1 ligands, wraps around the domain, contacting a narrow but extended surface. This recognition mechanism provides a basis for understanding the effects of mutations that cause WAS.