Syndecan 3 (SDC3)

By screening a human fetal brain cDNA library with a fragment of the ectodomain of human SDC3, followed by ligation of overlapping clones, Berndt et al. (2001) obtained a full-length SDC3 cDNA. The deduced 443-amino acid protein contains a large extracellular domain, followed by a glycine-rich transmembrane domain and a short cytoplasmic tail that contains the constant and variable regions characteristic of syndecans. The extracellular domain has 8 glycosaminoglycan attachment sites arranged in 2 clusters, and the intracellular domain has a PDZ domain-interacting motif and 4 conserved tyrosine residues. RNA dot blot analysis detected highest SDC3 expression in adult and fetal brain, adrenal gland, and spleen. Strong expression was detected in almost all specific brain regions examined except pituitary gland.