Deoxyribonuclease I Like Protein 3 (DNASE1L3)

DNASE1L3 encodes a member of the DNase family. The protein hydrolyzes DNA, is not inhibited by actin, and mediates the breakdown of DNA during apoptosis. Alternate transcriptional splice variants of this gene have been observed but have not been thoroughly characterized.

The predicted 306-amino acid protein was 45% identical to that of DNASE1. Northern blot analysis showed that DNASE1L3 was expressed primarily in spleen and liver cells. The predominant mRNA was 1.3 kb, although there were 2 other transcripts. The purified recombinant protein had DNase activity in vitro that, unlike that of DNASE1, was not inhibited by G-actin.