Regulates focal adhesion turnover resulting in changes in focal adhesion size, cell adhesion and cell spreading, potentially via transcriptional modulation of beta-integrins . Required to maintain gingival epithelial barrier function . Required for cardiac sodium current propagation and electrical synchrony in cardiac myocytes (By similarity). Required for the formation of desmosome cell junctions in cardiomyocytes, thereby required for the correct formation of the heart, specifically trabeculation and formation of the atria walls (By similarity). Loss of desmosome cell junctions leads to mis-localization of DSP and DSG2 resulting in disruption of cell-cell adhesion and disordered intermediate filaments (By similarity). Modulates profibrotic gene expression in cardiomyocytes via regulation of DSP expression and subsequent activation of downstream TGFB1 and MAPK14/p38 MAPK signaling (By similarity). May play a role in junctional plaques . Involved in the inhibition of viral infection by influenza A viruses (IAV) . Acts as a host restriction factor for IAV viral propagation, potentially via disrupting the interaction of IAV polymerase complex proteins .
Subcellular locations: Nucleus, Cell junction, Desmosome, Cell junction, Cytoplasm
Colocalizes with CTNNA3 and SCN5A/Nav1.5 at intercalated disks in the heart.
Detected in heart right ventricle (at protein level). Expressed in gingival epithelial, endothelial and fibroblast cells (at protein level) . Faintly expressed in tracheal epithelial cells (at protein level) . Widely expressed. Found at desmosomal plaques in simple and stratified epithelia and in non-epithelial tissues such as myocardium and lymph node follicles. In most stratified epithelia found in the desmosomes of the basal cell layer and seems to be absent from suprabasal strata.
(Microbial infection) Abundantly expressed in tracheal epithelial cells following influenza A virus infection (at protein level).