This gene encodes the 58 kilodalton subunit of DNA primase, an enzyme that plays a key role in the replication of DNA. The encoded protein forms a heterodimer with a 49 kilodalton subunit. This heterodimer functions as a DNA-directed RNA polymerase to synthesize small RNA primers that are used to create Okazaki fragments on the lagging strand of the DNA. Alternative splicing of this gene results in multiple transcript variants. This gene has a related pseudogene, which is also present on chromosome 6. [provided by RefSeq, Apr 2014].