| Modification Notes |
TDRD7 (tudor domain containing 7), also known as TRAP, CATC4 or PCTAIRE2BP, is a 1,098 amino acid cytoplasmic protein that localizes to RNA granules. TDRD7 is present in the chromatoid body (CB) of spermatids and is detected in the intermitochondrial cementin of pachytene spermatocytes. TDRD7 contains three lotus/OST-HTH domains and two tudor domains, and forms a mRNP complex with TDRD1, TDRD6 and VASA. TDRD7 is a component of cytoplasmic RNA granules involved in post-transcriptional regulation of specific genes. Required for lens transparency during lens development, TDRD7 is also required during spermatogenesis. Mutations in the gene encoding TDRD7 leads to cataract congenital autosomal recessive type 4 (CATC4), which is characterized by an opacification of the crystalline lens of the eye. TDRD7 exists as three alternatively spliced isoforms and is encoded by a gene located on human chromosome 9q22.33. |