Nucleoside Diphosphate Linked Moiety X-Type Motif 3 (NUDT3)

NUDT3 belongs to the MutT, or Nudix, protein family. Nudix proteins act as homeostatic checkpoints at important stages in nucleoside phosphate metabolic pathways, guarding against elevated levels of potentially dangerous intermediates, like 8-oxo-dGTP, which promotes AT-to-CG transversions.

The deduced 172-amino acid protein has a calculated molecular mass of 19.5 kD. Nucleotides upstream of the translation initiator codon are exceptionally GC rich. NUDT3 contains a MutT, or Nudix, domain with conserved glutamate residues believed to participate in binding the Mg(2+) substrate complex and in general base catalysis. Northern blot analysis detected a 1.4-kb transcript in all tissues examined, with prominent expression in brain, heart, pancreas, and liver.