Dapper 3 (also Dact 3) is a 63 kDa (predicted) member of the DACT (Dapper/Frodo) family of Dvl-binding proteins. It is expressed in cerebral cortex and uterus where it antagonizes Wnt/ beta -catenin signaling. When present in colorectal tumor cells, it initiates apoptosis. Both effects are likely the result of a Dapper 3 interaction with Dvl2, thereby blocking beta -catenin entry into the nucleus. Mouse Dapper 3 is 610 amino acids (aa) in length It contains one coiled-coil region (aa 63-87), an Arg-rich domain (aa 351-476), and a PZD-binding motif (aa 607-610). There is one potential splice variant that shows a 45 aa substitution for aa 413-610. In human Dact 3 the frameshift at position 119 is reported to yield a protein product with estimated moleqular weight of 41 kDa. Over aa 486-587, mouse dapper 3 shares 82% and 99% aa identity with human and rat dapper 3, respectively.
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