We found that the subcellular location and the levels of of F-actin were altered in T cells from both WAS and XLT patients compared to that of HCs with or without stimulation.
The inhibition of NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity was associated with the reduced ability of WAS and XLT NK cells to form conjugates with susceptible target cells and to accumulate F-actin on binding.
As a whole, the degree of impairment of WASP protein expression in WAS/XLT seems to correlate with anomalies of cytoskeletal organization, strongly supporting a role for WASP in the regulation of F-actin polymerization.