Metastasis Associated Protein 3 (MTA3)

MTA3 shares 69% amino acid identity with MTA1. MTA3 expression in adult and fetal brain and in all specific brain regions examined. Intermediate expression was also detected in ovary, and lower levels were detected in kidney and lung. Little to no expression was found in all other tissues examined. MTA3 is a component of the NURD (nucleosome remodeling and histone deacetylation) complex. Expression of MTA3 was tightly linked with estrogen action, and transcriptional repression by MTA3 was histone deacetylase-dependent. SNAI1 , a master regulator of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), was also a direct MTA3 target. Experimental manipulation of MTA3 effected SNAI1 and E-cadherin levels, events associated with changes in epithelial architecture and invasive cell growth.