Zinc Finger Protein 638 (ZNF638)

ZNF638 is a nucleoplasmic protein. It binds cytidine-rich sequences in double-stranded DNA. This protein has three types of domains: MH1, MH2 (repeated three times) and MH3. It is associated with packaging, transferring, or processing transcripts. Multiple alternatively spliced transcript variants have been found for this gene, but the biological validity of some variants has not been determined. Human NP220 binds to double-stranded DNA fragments by recognizing clusters of cytidines. Immunofluorescent microscopy with antiserum directed against NP220 revealed a punctate or "speckled" pattern and coiled body-like structures in the nucleoplasm of various human cell lines. Human NP220 shares three types of domains (MH1, MH2, and MH3) with the acidic nuclear protein, matrin 3 .