This gene encodes a member of the DEAD box family of RNA helicases that are involved in a variety of cellular processes as a result of its role as an adaptor molecule， promoting interactions with a large number of other factors. This protein is involved in pathways that include the alteration of RNA structures， plays a role as a coregulator of transcription， a regulator of splicing， and in the processing of small noncoding RNAs. Members of this family contain nine conserved motifs， including the conserved Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp (DEAD) motif， important to ATP binding and hydrolysis as well as RNA binding and unwinding activities. Dysregulation of this gene may play a role in cancer development. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants.