Structure and Function of DEPDC Superfamily Proteins

DEP (Dishevelled, Egg-laying defective protein 10 and Pleckstrin) domain consists of about 90conserved amino acid residues and is first identified in three proteins including DVL (Dishevelled), EGL-10 (Egglaying defective protein 10) and PLEK (Pleckstrin). Increasing evidences have shown that DEPDC (DEP domaincontaining) superfamily proteins play various roles in biology, especially in signal transduction and cancer. In thispaper, the structure and function of DEPDC superfamily proteins are analyzed in order to lay a foundation for further elucidating the structure and function of the DEP domain.