The protein encoded by this gene is one of three (including CSTF1 and CSTF2) cleavage stimulation factors that combine to form the cleavage stimulation factor complex (CSTF). This complex is involved in the polyadenylation and 3' end cleavage of pre-mRNAs. The encoded protein functions as a homodimer and interacts directly with both CSTF1 and CSTF2 in the CSTF complex. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
Forensic Context
A study in rhesus macaques demonstrated that chronic ethanol self-administration broadly alters brain transcriptomes, where the CSTF3 was identified as a gene whose expression in the central nucleus of the amygdala was negatively correlated with ethanol intake and associated with splicing-related functional categories [Iancu et al. DOI:10.1111/Adb.12501].