The product encoded by this gene is preferentially expressed in hematopoietic cells and belongs to the paxillin protein family. Similar to other members of this focal-adhesion-associated adaptor-protein family, it has four leucine-rich LD-motifs in the N-terminus and four LIM domains in the C-terminus. It may function in cell type-specific signaling by associating with PYK2, a member of focal adhesion kinase family. As a substrate for a tyrosine kinase in lymphoid cells, this protein may also function in, and be regulated by, tyrosine kinase activity. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms.[provided by RefSeq, Jan 2009].