Dynein regulatory complex subunit 4 (DRC4)

Dynein regulatory complex subunit 4 (DRC4) is a highly conserved coiled-coil scaffold protein that is a core component of the nexin-dynein regulatory complex (N-DRC), a structure required for the normal motility of cilia and flagella in eukaryotic cells[2][3][4]. DRC4, together with DRC1 and DRC2, forms the foundational scaffold of the N-DRC that links and stabilizes adjacent microtubule doublets in the axoneme, coordinates the activity of dynein motors, and regulates the generation of ciliary or flagellar beating[1][2][3]. DRC4 orthologs include human GAS8, mouse GAS11, and DRC4A/DRC4B in some protists[2][3][4]. Loss-of-function mutations in DRC4 or its orthologs have been directly associated with defects in ciliary motility, including primary ciliary dyskinesia in humans[2][4]. There are currently no direct drugs known to target DRC4, and it is primarily studied in the context of basic cell biology and genetic diseases of motility[4][5].

Other names

GAS8 (growth arrest-specific protein 8; in human)GAS11 (in mouse)Drc4a and Drc4b (paralogs in some ciliates)