GNB3 belongs to the WD repeat G protein beta family. The protein consists of 340 amino acids and has a molecular mass of approximately 39.6 kDa . It is a non-glycosylated polypeptide chain produced in E. coli for recombinant purposes . The beta subunits, including GNB3, are essential regulators of the alpha subunits and certain signal transduction receptors and effectors .
A notable single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the GNB3 gene, known as C825T, is associated with essential hypertension and obesity . This SNP leads to the occurrence of a splice variant, GNB3-s, which exhibits increased activity. The alternative splicing caused by this nucleotide change results in multiple transcript variants .
GNB3 is involved in several critical biological pathways, including: