The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the cdc2/cdkx subfamily of the ser/thr family of protein kinases. It may play a role in signal transduction cascades in terminally differentiated cells; in exocytosis; and in transport of secretory cargo from the endoplasmic reticulum. This gene is thought to escape X inactivation. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms. [provided by RefSeq, Dec 2009]
Forensic Context
A study in humans identified CDK16 as a hub gene and diagnostic biomarker, finding it significantly upregulated in burn injury tissues (p < 0.001) with an area under the curve (AUC) greater than 0.68, indicating promising diagnostic value [Zhou et al. DOI:10.3389/fgene.2022.829841]. A study in zebrafish demonstrated that the CDK16 transcript, a serine/threonine-protein kinase, increased in abundance postmortem [Pozhitkov et al. DOI:10.1098/rsob.160267].