Acts upstream of or within negative regulation of ERK1 and ERK2 cascade; negative regulation of smooth muscle cell proliferation; and regulation of cytokine production. Located in cytoplasm and nucleus. Is expressed in several structures, including alimentary system; central nervous system; genitourinary system; musculoskeletal system; and respiratory system. Orthologous to human NDRG2 (NDRG family member 2). [provided by Alliance of Genome Resources, Apr 2022]