DAZ Interacting Protein 3, Zinc Finger (DZIP3)

By sequencing clones obtained from a size-fractionated brain cDNA library, Ishikawa et al. (1998) cloned DZIP3, which they designated KIAA0675. The deduced 1,208-amino acid protein shares weak homology with tetratricopeptide repeat protein D (TTC3). RT-PCR detected ubiquitous DZIP3 expression, with highest levels in testis, skeletal muscle, ovary, and kidney.

The DAZ (Deleted in AZoospermia) gene family encodes potential RNA binding proteins that are expressed in prenatal and postnatal germ cells of males and females. The protein encoded by this gene is localized to the nucleus and cytoplasm of fetal germ cells and to the cytoplasm of developing oocytes. In the testis, this protein is localized to the nucleus of spermatogonia but relocates to the cytoplasm during meiosis where it persists in spermatids and spermatozoa.