Gads/GRAP2 (GRB2-related adapter protein 2) is member of the GRB2 adaptor family with a central SH2 domain and linker region flanked by amino- and carboxy-terminal SH3 domains. SLP-76 associates constitutively via its central 20-amino acid proline-rich domain with the C-terminal SH3 domain of Gads, which recruits it to LAT following receptor stimulation. Upon LAT phosphorylation, Gads:SLP-76 complex principally binds to phosphorylated LAT tyrosine 191, with a reduced amount of binding to phosphorylated tyrosine 171 and no interaction with phosphorylated tyrosines 132 or 226 (Houtman et al. 2004, Zhu et al. 2003). Gads may promote cross-talk between the LAT and SLP-76 signaling complexes, thereby coupling membrane-proximal events to downstream signaling pathways (Liu et al. 1999). The LAT-Gads-SLP-76 complex creates a platform for the recruitment of multiple signaling molecules, including PLCgamma1, GRB2, NCK, Rho GEFs, VAV and the Tec-family kinases ITK and BTK (Liu et al. 1999 & 2001, Asada et al. 1999, Yablonski et al. 2001).
