Potassium Channel Tetramerisation Domain Containing Protein 3 (KCTD3)

K+ channel tetramerisation domain is the N-terminal, cytoplasmic tetramerisation domain (T1) of voltage-gated K+ channels. It defines molecular determinants for subfamily-specific assembly of alpha-subunits into functional tetrameric channels.All K⁺ channels discovered so far possess a core of alpha subunits, each comprising either one or two copies of a highly conserved pore loop domain (P-domain).

Using autologous antibody, Scanlan et al. (1999) cloned KCTD3, which they designated NY-REN-45, from a renal cell cancer cDNA expression library. The deduced 812-amino acid protein contains nuclear localization signals and has characteristics of a potassium channel. RT-PCR detected expression in all normal tissues tested, including lung, testis, small intestine, breast, liver, and placenta.