Methyl CpG Binding Domain Protein 3 Like Protein 1 (MBD3L1)

MBD3L1 encodes a deduced 194-amino acid protein that shares 42% and 38% sequence identity with MBD3 and MBD2, respectively; like MBD2 and MBD3, MBD3L1 contains a coiled-coil domain near its C terminus, but unlike them it does not have an MBD domain. Northern blot analysis detected selective expression of an approximately 1.1-kb transcript in both human and mouse testis; expression was undetectable in all other tissues with the exception of trace amounts in human pancreas. During mouse spermatogenesis, expression of Mbd3l1 was observed only in round spermatids, suggesting a role for the protein in the postmeiotic states of male germ cell development. Gel mobility shift analysis demonstrated that MBD3L1 is unable to bind to methylated DNA. MBD3L1 localizes to discrete areas of the nucleus.