WD Repeat Containing Domain Protein 3 (WDR3)

WDR3 encodes a nuclear protein containing 10 WD repeats. WD repeats are approximately 30- to 40-amino acid domains containing several conserved residues, which usually include a trp-asp at the C-terminal end. Proteins belonging to the WD repeat family are involved in a variety of cellular processes, including cell cycle progression, signal transduction, apoptosis, and gene regulation. WDR3 also contains a potential tyrosine kinase phosphorylation site and a cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation site. WDR3 shares 37% amino acid sequence identity with the S. cerevisiae WD repeat-containing protein DIP2. Northern blot analysis detected an approximately 4-kb WDR3 transcript in the majority of tissues examined, including brain, pancreas, skeletal muscle, and placenta.