The third LOTUS domain on Tudor-containing protein 7 (TDRD7)
The third LOTUS domain on Tudor-containing protein 7 (TDRD7): TDRD7 contains three N-terminal LOTUS domains and three Tudor domain repeats at the C-terminus. It belongs to the evolutionary conserved Tudor domain-containing protein (TDRD) family involved in germ cell development. In mice, TDRD7 together with TDRD1/MTR-1, TDRD5 and TDRD6 forms a ribonucleoprotein complex in the intermitochondrial cements (IMCs) and the chromatoid bodies (CBs) involving in RNA processing for spermatogenesis. TDRD7 is functionally essential for the differentiation of germ cells. The exact molecular function of LOTUS domain on TDRD7 remains to be characterized. Its occurrence in proteins associated with RNA metabolism suggests that it might be involved in RNA binding function. The presence of several basic residues and RNA fold recognition motifs support this hypothesis. The RNA binding function might be the first step of regulating mRNA translation or localization.
Jiyao W et al.(2023). "The conserved domain database in 2023.",