DEP domains: structurally similar but functionally different.

The Dishevelled, EGL-10 and pleckstrin (DEP) domain is a globular protein domain that is present in about ten human protein families with well-defined structural features. A picture is emerging that DEP domains mainly function in the spatial and temporal control of diverse signal transduction events by recruiting proteins to the plasma membrane. DEP domains can interact with various partners at the membrane, including phospholipids and membrane receptors, and their binding is subject to regulation.