This gene encodes a protein that belongs to the pi3/pi4-kinase family of proteins. The gene product is an enzyme that phosphorylates phosphoinositides on the 3-hydroxyl group of the inositol ring. It is an important modulator of extracellular signals, including those elicited by E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion, which plays an important role in maintenance of the structural and functional integrity of epithelia. In addition to its role in promoting assembly of adherens junctions, the protein is thought to play a pivotal role in the regulation of cytotoxicity in NK cells. The gene is located in a commonly deleted segment of chromosome 7 previously identified in myeloid leukemias. Several transcript variants encoding the same protein have been found for this gene.
