WASH complex

GO:0071203 · Other · Multiprotein complex · Proposed

A protein complex that localizes at the surface of endosomes, where it recruits and activates the Arp2/3 complex to induce actin polymerization. In human, the WASH complex is composed of F-actin-capping protein subunits alpha and beta, WASH1, FAM21, KIAA1033, KIAA0196 and CCDC53. [GO:0071203]

Part of: GO:0005737 — cytoplasm (no local record)

UniProt location names: UniProt Consortium, CC BY 4.0. Reference label and route sources.

Components

Component	Type	Part of / acts on	Grounding	Essential	Role
WASH nucleation-promoting factor subunit	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	UNKNOWN	Nucleation-promoting WASH-complex subunit that activates Arp2/3 on endosomal membranes. `GO:0071203` The GO WASH-complex definition names human WASH1 as a WASH-complex component. `DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010` Derivery et al. 2009 purified the human WASH complex and identified WASH as a complex subunit.
FAM21/VPEF WASH-complex subunit	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	UNKNOWN	Endosome-associated constituent of the human WASH complex. `GO:0071203` The GO WASH-complex definition names human FAM21 as a WASH-complex component. `DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010` Derivery et al. 2009 identified VPEF/FAM21 in affinity purifications of the WASH complex from human cells.
SWIP/KIAA1033 WASH-complex subunit	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	UNKNOWN	Constituent of the human WASH complex. `GO:0071203` The GO WASH-complex definition names human KIAA1033 as a WASH-complex component. `DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010` Derivery et al. 2009 identified KIAA1033 in affinity purifications of the WASH complex from human cells.
strumpellin/KIAA0196 WASH-complex subunit	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	UNKNOWN	Constituent of the human WASH complex. `GO:0071203` The GO WASH-complex definition names human KIAA0196 as a WASH-complex component. `DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010` Derivery et al. 2009 identified KIAA0196/strumpellin in affinity purifications of the WASH complex from human cells.
CCDC53 WASH-complex subunit	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	UNKNOWN	Constituent of the human WASH complex. `GO:0071203` The GO WASH-complex definition names human CCDC53 as a WASH-complex component. `DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010` Derivery et al. 2009 identified CCDC53 in affinity purifications of the WASH complex from human cells.
F-actin-capping protein heterodimer	Protein complex	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	UNKNOWN	Capping-protein heterodimer associated with the human WASH complex. `GO:0071203` The GO WASH-complex definition includes human F-actin-capping protein alpha and beta subunits in the WASH complex. `DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010` Derivery et al. 2009 identified capping-protein alpha and beta subunits in affinity purifications of the WASH complex from human cells.

Taxonomic distribution

NCBITaxon:9606 Homo sapiens — COMMON: The seven-subunit WASH complex was purified from human cells and shown to activate Arp2/3-mediated actin nucleation in vitro. [DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010]
NCBITaxon:2759 Eukaryota — VARIABLE: A conservation analysis reported WASH-complex subunits across animals, fungi and amoebae, while noting losses from plants and some fungi. [DOI:10.4161/cib.3.3.11185]

Canonical examples

NCBITaxon:9606 Homo sapiens — Human cells are the model in which Derivery et al. purified the WASH complex and assayed its endosomal localization and Arp2/3 activation. [DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010]

Functions

actin filament polymerization GO:0030041 — WASH localizes the WASH complex to endosomes, where the complex activates Arp2/3-mediated actin nucleation.
- GO:0030041 GO:0030041 denotes assembly of actin filaments by addition of actin monomers to a filament.
- DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010 Derivery et al. 2009 found that purified human WASH complex activates Arp2/3-mediated actin nucleation.

Mechanism graphs

WASH activates Arp2/3-mediated endosomal actin assembly (FUNCTION)

In human cells, WASH-complex subunits assemble a WASH complex that localizes to endosomes and activates the Arp2/3 complex to drive actin filament polymerization.

Subject	Predicate	Object	Evidence
WASH nucleation-promoting factor subunit	is part of	WASH complex	`DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010` Derivery et al. 2009 identified WASH in human WASH-complex affinity purifications.
FAM21/VPEF WASH-complex subunit	is part of	WASH complex	`DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010` Derivery et al. 2009 identified VPEF/FAM21 in human WASH-complex affinity purifications.
SWIP/KIAA1033 WASH-complex subunit	is part of	WASH complex	`DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010` Derivery et al. 2009 identified KIAA1033 in human WASH-complex affinity purifications.
strumpellin/KIAA0196 WASH-complex subunit	is part of	WASH complex	`DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010` Derivery et al. 2009 identified KIAA0196/strumpellin in human WASH-complex affinity purifications.
CCDC53 WASH-complex subunit	is part of	WASH complex	`DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010` Derivery et al. 2009 identified CCDC53 in human WASH-complex affinity purifications.
F-actin-capping protein heterodimer	is part of	WASH complex	`DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010` Derivery et al. 2009 identified capping-protein alpha and beta subunits in human WASH-complex affinity purifications.
WASH complex	localizes to	endosome	`DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010` Derivery et al. 2009 localized the WASH complex to sorting and recycling endosomes.
WASH complex	activates	Arp2/3 protein complex	`DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010` Derivery et al. 2009 showed that purified WASH complex activates Arp2/3-mediated actin nucleation.
Arp2/3 protein complex	participates in	actin filament polymerization	`DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010` Derivery et al. 2009 placed Arp2/3-mediated actin nucleation downstream of the WASH complex.

Discussions

CURATION_TODO (OPEN): Resolve exact source-neutral InterPro, Pfam, GO or Complex Portal groundings for the individual WASH-complex subunits. This first WASH record preserves the names from the human affinity purification and GO definition without asserting exact family or subcomplex CURIEs across WASH-family paralogues and capping-protein alpha/beta subunits until those identifiers are reviewed directly.

Evidence

GO:0071203 Gene Ontology cellular-component term for the WASH complex.
GO:0032991 Gene Ontology cellular-component parent term for protein-containing complexes.
GO:0005737 — cytoplasm Gene Ontology cellular-component term for the cytoplasm, matching the asserted GO parthood of the WASH complex.
GO:0005885 Gene Ontology cellular-component term for the Arp2/3 protein complex.
GO:0030041 Gene Ontology biological-process term for actin filament polymerization.
DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2009.09.010 Derivery et al. 2009, The Arp2/3 activator WASH controls the fission of endosomes through a large multiprotein complex, Developmental Cell.
DOI:10.4161/cib.3.3.11185 Derivery and Gautreau 2010, Evolutionary conservation of the WASH complex, an actin polymerization machine involved in endosomal fission, Communicative & Integrative Biology.

Curation history

2026-09-27T21:05:47Z codex · CREATED_RECORD — Scaffolded by scripts/new_record.py
2026-09-27T21:08:05Z codex · EXPANDED_RECORD — Added GO protein-complex parentage and cytoplasm parthood, reviewed-label-only human WASH-complex components, human and broader eukaryotic taxonomic scope, a GO-grounded actin-polymerization function, GO/DOI evidence, a nonmechanistic Arp2/3 activation graph, and a component-grounding TODO.

Source: data/structures/other/wash_complex.yaml