This gene encodes a protein that is abundantly expressed in cardiac tissue. The encoded protein localizes to intercalated discs in cardiomyocytes and functions as an activator of Rho-dependent serum-response factor signaling. Alternate splicing results in multiple transcript variants. Read-through transcription also exists between this gene and the neighboring downstreamstream gene POLR2M (polymerase (RNA) II (DNA directed) polypeptide M). [provided by RefSeq, Nov 2011]