Winged helix repair factor 1 (WHR1)

Winged helix repair factor 1 (WHR1) is a nuclear protein encoded by the WHR1 gene (also known as STK19). It features a winged helix domain that binds DNA and is required for efficient transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair (TC-NER, a critical DNA repair pathway. WHR1 acts as part of a protein complex that assembles at sites where RNA polymerase II stalls due to DNA lesions, interacting with multiple repair factors to promote the removal of damaged polymerase and recruiting factors that repair DNA damage. The protein also binds RNA and regulates mRNA expression, with possible involvement in transcriptional regulation. WHR1 is associated with diseases such as melanoma and retinitis pigmentosa 4, both associated with defects in DNA damage response or genomic stability. Although originally annotated as a serine/threonine kinase, its kinase activity in vivo is uncertain, and it may function mainly as a structural component in nuclear repair assemblies.

Other names

Serine/threonine-protein kinase 19 (STK19)Inactive serine/threonine-protein kinase 19Protein G11Protein RP1D6S60, D6S60EHLA-RP1TWH19MHC class III HLA-RP1RP1Tandem winged helix protein (formerly known as STK19)

Not established for WHR1 directly. For the related pathway (i.e., targeting repair factors or kinases in cancer), inhibitors generally act by blocking phosphorylation or protein-protein interactions, potentially affecting DNA repair or oncogenic signaling. No drugs are currently directed specifically at WHR1's mechanism as a repair factor or kinase.