Cation Channel, Sperm Associated 3 (CATSPER3)

CATSPER3 gene contains 8 exons and spans 43.7 kb. The intronic sequences of the CATSPER3 gene contain numerous repeats, including Alu and LINE repeats.

The deduced 398-amino acid protein has a calculated molecular mass of 46.4 kD. CATSPER3 contains 6 transmembrane segments and shares similarity with 1 repeat of the 4-repeat voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels. Northern blot analysis detected a 1.4-kb transcript only in testis. mRNA dot blot analysis detected CATSPER3 expression in a wide variety of tissues, with highest expression in testis. Fluorescence-tagged CATSPER3 localized predominantly to the nucleus of human embryonic kidney cells.