YPEL3 (yippee-like 3) belongs to a family of five yippee-like proteins, all of which localize to the centrosome or mitotic spindle and are widely expressed in both adult and fetal tissue. This localization plus the fact that the family of human YPEL proteins share a high degree of sequence homology across species suggests that these proteins may have a conserved function involved in cell division. YPEL3 is a p53-regulated gene whose expression is induced by DNA damage and in turn induces cellular senescence. It appears to function as a tumor suppressor as it is downregulated in colon and breast tumors. Involved in proliferation and apoptosis in myeloid precursor cells.