The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the MAPkinase family. MAP kinases, also known as extracellularsignal-regulated kinases (ERKs), act in a signaling cascade thatregulates various cellular processes such as proliferation,differentiation, and cell cycle progression in response to avariety of extracellular signals. This kinase is activated byupstream kinases, resulting in its translocation to the nucleuswhere it phosphorylates nuclear targets. Alternatively splicedtranscript variants encoding different protein isoforms have beendescribed. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008].