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WAPL

WAPL, short for Wings Apart-Like protein, is a protein encoded by the WAPL gene in humans and many other species. It functions as a regulatory component of the cohesin complex, a multi-protein machine that holds sister chromatids together from DNA replication through separation in mitosis.

WAPL promotes the release of cohesin from chromatin during mitosis, particularly via the prophase pathway that

The activity of WAPL is regulated across the cell cycle and through interactions with other cohesin regulators.

Evolutionarily, WAPL is conserved across eukaryotes; the yeast homolog is known as Wpl1 and serves a similar

removes
cohesin
from
the
arms
of
chromosomes.
This
action
complements
the
action
of
proteolytic
cleavage
of
cohesin
components
later
in
mitosis
to
permit
sister
chromatid
separation.
In
vertebrates,
cohesin
typically
consists
of
Smc1,
Smc3,
Rad21
(SCC1),
and
an
STAG
subunit
(SA1/SA2);
WAPL
acts
in
coordination
with
other
regulators
such
as
Pds5
to
induce
cohesin
dissociation
from
chromatin.
By
modulating
the
timing
of
cohesin
release,
WAPL
helps
ensure
proper
chromosome
condensation
and
segregation,
and
it
also
contributes
to
the
regulation
of
higher-order
chromatin
structure
and
genome
organization.
function
in
cohesin
release.
In
humans
and
model
organisms,
disruption
of
WAPL
function
can
lead
to
defects
in
chromosome
segregation
and
increased
genomic
instability,
making
it
a
focus
of
studies
on
cell
division,
development,
and
cancer
biology.