MBD3

DNA methylation is the major modification of eukaryotic genomes and plays an essential role in mammalian development. Human proteins MECP2, MBD1, MBD2, MBD3, and MBD4 comprise a family of nuclear proteins related by the presence in each of a methyl-CpG binding domain (MBD). However, unlike the other family members, MBD3 is not capable of binding to methylated DNA but instead binds to hydroxymethylated DNA.^[8] The predicted MBD3 protein shares 71% and 94% identity with MBD2 (isoform 1) and mouse Mbd3. MBD3 is a subunit of the NuRD, a multisubunit complex containing nucleosome remodeling and histone deacetylase activities. MBD3 mediates the association of metastasis-associated protein 2 (MTA2) with the core histone deacetylase complex.^[7]

MBD3 also contains the coiled‐coil domain common to all three MBD3 isoforms.^[9]

MBD3 has been shown to interact with:

• AURKA,^[10]
• GATAD2B,^[11][12]
• HDAC1,^[10][13][14]
• MTA2,^[10][13][14] and
• MBD2.^[13][15]