Tudor domain containing 3 is a 651 amino acid protein that localizes to both the nucleus and the cytoplasm and contains one UBA domain and one tudor domain. Expressed in lung, brain, heart, liver, placenta, kidney, pancreas and skeletal muscle, TDRD3 exists as a component of mRNA stress granules and is thought to play a role in the translation of target mRNAs, as well as in the assembly and disassembly of stress granules. Multiple isoforms of TDRD3 exist due to alternative splicing events. The gene encoding TDRD3 maps to human chromosome 13, which houses over 400 genes, such as BRCA2 and RB1, and comprises nearly 4% of the human genome. Trisomy 13, also known as Patau syndrome, is deadly and the few who survive past one year suffer from permanent neurologic defects, difficulty eating and vulnerability to serious respiratory infections.