PDCD6 is a calcium-binding protein and is a member of the penta-EF-hand protein family. Calcium binding is vital for homodimerization and for conformational changes essential for binding to other protein partners. PDCD6 takes part in T cell receptor-， Fas-， and glucocorticoid-induced programmed cell death. However， tests showed that in mice deficient for PDCD6， apoptosis was not blocked which suggests that PDCD6 is functionally redundant.
