This gene encodes TBP, the TATA-binding protein. A distinctive feature of TBP is a long string of glutamines in the N-terminus. This region of the protein modulates the DNA binding activity of the C terminus, and modulation of DNA binding affects the rate of transcription complex formation and initiation of transcription. The number of CAG repeats encoding the polyglutamine tract is usually 32-39, and expansion of the number of repeats increases the length of the polyglutamine string and is associated with spinocerebellar ataxia 17, a neurodegenerative disorder classified as a polyglutamine disease.
