This gene encodes an evolutionarily conserved protein associated with cell apoptosis. The protein interacts with the serine/threonine protein kinase MST4 to modulate the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway. It also interacts with and is phosphoryated by serine/threonine kinase 25, and is thought to function in a signaling pathway essential for vascular developent. Mutations in this gene are one cause of cerebral cavernous malformations, which are vascular malformations that cause seizures and cerebral hemorrhages. Multiple alternatively spliced variants, encoding the same protein, have been identified. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008].