[11][12] TCTP is a multifunctional and highly conserved protein that existed ubiquitously in different eukaryote species and distributed widely in various tissues and cell types.

[16] Research in 1997 shown that TCTP is not a tumor- or tissue-specific protein, but is expressed ubiquitously from plants to mammals.

[7] The majority of publications established TCTP to be a cytoplasmic protein but nuclear localisation has also been reported, as well as extracellular activity; however, the process of secretion has not been found.

[14] TCTP has properties of a tubulin binding protein that associates with microtubules in a cell cycle-dependent manner.

[29] Reducing TCTP (dTCTP) levels in Drosophila reduces cell size, cell number and organ size, which mimics Drosophila Rheb (dRheb) mutant phenotypes; human TCTP (hTCTP) shows similar biochemical properties compared to dTCTP.

[17][31][32] Downregulation of the protein levels by siRNA in HTR-8/SVneo (Homo sapiens placenta cells) was associated with a reduced cellular calcium-uptake activity and buffering capacity.

[40] The structure of TCTP has a very complex topology composed of three alpha helices, and eleven beta strands arranged in two small beta-sheets, one larger than the other.

[41] TCTP is reported to interact with dozens of other proteins, which relates to its functions in many cellular and biological mechanisms.