B-Cell Translocation Gene 3 (BTG3)

BTG3 is a member of the BTG/Tob family. This family has structurally related proteins that appear to have antiproliferative properties. This encoded protein might play a role in neurogenesis in the central nervous system.

The human BTG3 cDNA, which the authors called ANA, encodes a deduced 252-amino acid protein that shares 93% sequence identity with the mouse protein. Northern blot analysis detected a 1.5-kb transcript in various human tissues, with relatively high expression in testis, prostate, ovary, thymus, and lung, and low expression in skeletal muscle and spleen. Further analysis in mouse revealed that BTG3 expression was high in the ventricular zone of the developing central nervous system. Overexpression of BTG3 impaired serum-induced cell cycle progression from the G0/G1 to S phase.