Translin-associated protein X (TSNAX)

TSNAX is a 290-amino acid protein that functions as an endonuclease component of the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) pathway. It acts in combination with translin (TSN) to regulate gene silencing through RNA interference mechanisms, with potential involvement in spermatogenesis (UniProt: Q99598).

The protein is expressed in human tissues and participates in post-transcriptional gene regulation through RISC activation. No primary disease associations are documented in the UniProt record.

In Alzheimer's disease, TSNAX shows increased abundance in post-mortem AD brain tissue compared to age-matched controls, with a mean log2 fold-change of +0.40 (Chaparral AD proteomics). This upregulation was detected via TMT-labeled quantitative proteomics across four subcellular fractions (P2, P3, S2, S3) from human post-mortem brain tissue. The modest but consistent elevation suggests potential involvement in AD-related pathophysiology, though the specific functional significance of increased TSNAX in AD neurodegeneration remains to be elucidated.