The protein encoded by this gene is one of the three catalytic subunits of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1). This broadly expressed gene encodes the alpha subunit of the PP1 complex that associates with over 200 regulatory proteins to form holoenzymes which dephosphorylate their biological targets with high specificity. PP1 is a serine/threonine specific protein phosphatase known to be involved in the regulation of a variety of cellular processes, such as cell division, glycogen metabolism, muscle contractility, protein synthesis, and HIV-1 viral transcription. Increased PP1 activity has been observed in the end stage of heart failure. Studies suggest that PP1 is an important regulator of cardiac function and that PP1 deregulation is implicated in diabetes and multiple types of cancer. Three alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene.