WD repeat domain 5B (WDR5B)

WD repeat domain 5B (WDR5B) is a retrogene homolog of the chromatin-associated protein WDR5. The WDR5B gene is intronless and encodes a protein containing several WD40 repeats that may mediate protein-protein interactions. It shares high sequence similarity with WDR5, but evidence shows WDR5B has distinct expression patterns and biological functions, particularly in neural differentiation and cell proliferation. WDR5B exhibits low expression in pluripotent cells and is upregulated as cells undergo neural differentiation. Loss or knockdown of WDR5B impairs cell growth and increases the fraction of non-viable cells in retinal pigment epithelial cultures, highlighting its potential importance for cellular viability and proliferation in certain differentiated cell types. Despite its similarity to WDR5, WDR5B does not appear to associate with canonical WDR5 binding sites on chromatin, and its involvement in histone modification or epigenetic regulation remains less clear. There is no current evidence to suggest that WDR5B is a bona fide therapeutic target; no approved drugs or experimental agents are reported to interact with this protein. Note: "WDR5B-DT" stands for "WDR5B divergent transcript", a naming convention typically used for non-coding RNA transcripts lying near or diverging from protein-coding loci. There is currently no evidence that "WDR5B divergent transcript" refers to a protein, druggable entity, or canonical therapeutic target; the relevant molecular entity for putative drug targeting would be the WDR5B protein itself, not its divergent transcript.

Other names

WDR5BWD repeat domain 5B