NCBI Summary:
This gene encodes a member of the WW-and-C2-domain-containing family of proteins. Members of this family have two N-terminal WW domains that mediate binding to target proteins harboring L/PPxY motifs, an internal C2 domain for membrane association, and C-terminal alpha protein kinase C binding sites and class III PDZ domain-interaction motifs. Proteins of this family are able to form homo- and heterodimers and to modulate hippo pathway signaling. [provided by RefSeq, Sep 2016]
General function
Comment
Cellular localization
Cytoplasmic
Comment
Ovarian function
Oocyte maturation, Early embryo development
Comment
Wwc2 Is a Novel Cell Division Regulator During Preimplantation Mouse Embryo Lineage Formation and Oogenesis. Virnicchi G et al. (2020) Formation of the hatching mouse blastocyst marks the end of preimplantation development, whereby previous cell cleavages culminate in the formation of three distinct cell lineages (trophectoderm, primitive endoderm and epiblast). We report that dysregulated expression of Wwc2, a genetic paralog of Kibra/Wwc1 (a known activator of Hippo-signaling, a key pathway during preimplantation development), is specifically associated with cell autonomous deficits in embryo cell number and cell division abnormalities. Division phenotypes are also observed during mouse oocyte meiotic maturation, as Wwc2 dysregulation blocks progression to the stage of meiosis II metaphase (MII) arrest and is associated with spindle defects and failed Aurora-A kinase (AURKA) activation. Oocyte and embryo cell division defects, each occurring in the absence of centrosomes, are fully reversible by expression of recombinant HA-epitope tagged WWC2, restoring activated oocyte AURKA levels. Additionally, clonal embryonic dysregulation implicates Wwc2 in maintaining the pluripotent epiblast lineage. Thus, Wwc2 is a novel regulator of meiotic and early mitotic cell divisions, and mouse blastocyst cell fate.//////////////////