The WAVE regulatory complex (WRC) is a five-subunit complex that holds the Arp2/3 activator SCAR (WAVE) in an inactive state until it is recruited and activated at the plasma membrane, mainly by the small GTPase Rac. It is built from two subcomplexes: a Cyfip (Sra1)-Hem (Nap1) dimer and a trimer of SCAR, Abi and HSPC300. Once activated, the C-terminal VCA region of SCAR binds actin and the Arp2/3 complex and stimulates branched actin nucleation. In Drosophila the WRC is needed for lamellipodia formation, axon growth, myoblast fusion and egg chamber development, and loss of one subunit destabilizes the others.
The Arp2/3 complex acted on by the WRC is a separate module (dmel_arp2_3_complex). Rac GTPases and membrane recruitment factors are regulators and are not parts. No molecular function is assigned: the WAVE regulatory complex activates the Arp2/3 complex through the VCA domain of SCAR, but the fly subunits carry only binding and adaptor terms in GOA. FlyBase groups realized by this module: WRC (FBgg0000492). Participants were generated from the FlyBase gene-group membership and mapped to UniProtKB by projects/FLYBASE_GENE_GROUPS/generate_modules.py from module_specs/dmel_wave_regulatory_complex.yaml. Member genes with a gene review in this repository: Abi, Cyfip, Hem, HSPC300, SCAR.
All recommended fields populated.
✗ none found
No MODULE:dmel_wave_regulatory_complex deep-research report alongside the module YAML.
✓ every leaf node grounds to a representative protein.
✓ every declared conforms_to bundle matches its template motif.
No functional claims were checked. This does not establish consistency with gene or family reviews.
✓ every negative regulator described as feedback has an upstream edge closing the loop.
4 complete review(s) · 5 with deep research · 0 missing review · 0 reviewed but lacking deep research
| Gene | Review | Complete | Deep research |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abi A0A0B4K774 | ✓ | 42/43 | ✓ |
| Cyfip Q9VF87 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hem P55162 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| HSPC300 Q8MLQ0 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SCAR X2J5L4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Five-subunit complex (Cyfip, Hem, SCAR, Abi, HSPC300) that keeps SCAR/WAVE inactive until Rac-dependent activation of Arp2/3 nucleation.
Cyfip (Sra1 homolog) and Hem (Nap1/Kette homolog) form the large regulatory dimer; Cyfip contains the binding site for active Rac and helps hold the SCAR VCA region in the inactive state.
SCAR carries the VCA region that activates the Arp2/3 complex; Abi and the small protein HSPC300 bind the SCAR N-terminus.