InterPro domain: IPR038102

The Eyes absent proteins are members of a conserved regulatory network implicated in the development of the eye, muscle, kidney and ear. Eyes absent is a nuclear transcription factor, acting through interaction withhomeodomain-containing Sine oculis (also known as Six) proteins. Eyes absent is also a protein tyrosine phosphatase [ 1 , 2 ], It does not resemble theclassical tyrosine phosphatases that use cysteine as a nucleophile and proceed by means of a thiol-phosphate intermediate. Rather, Eyes absent is the prototype fora class of protein tyrosine phosphatases that use a nucleophilic aspartic acid in a metal-dependent reaction. Furthermore, the phosphatase activity of Eyes absentcontributes to its ability to induce eye formation in drosophila. Thus, Eyes absent belongs to thephosphatase subgroup of the haloacid dehalogenase (HAD) superfamily and appears to act as a nuclear transcriptional coactivator with intrinsic phosphatase activity.

The Eyes absent proteins contain a divergent 200-300 residue long N-terminal region and a conserved C-terminal domain of approximately 270 residues, the EYA domain, which is critical for activity and believed to participate in protein-protein interactions [ 3 ].

1. The transcription factor Eyes absent is a protein tyrosine phosphatase. Nature 426, 299-302
2. Eyes absent represents a class of protein tyrosine phosphatases. Nature 426, 295-8
3. Molecular analysis of Drosophila eyes absent mutants reveals features of the conserved Eya domain. Genetics 155, 709-20