[7] As a member of the Ras superfamily of small G-proteins, RASD1 regulates signal transduction pathways through both G proteins and G protein-coupled receptors.

The full-length RASD1 cDNA produces a protein with a length of 280 amino acid residues and a molecular mass of 31.7 kDa.

[13][14][15] It is also present in bone marrow, but its expression is absent or at very low levels in spleen, lymph node, and peripheral blood leukocytes.

[16] It can be induced by corticosteroids and may play a role in the negative feedback loop controlling adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion.

[19] RASD1 is also reported to function with leptin in the activation of TRPC4 transient receptor potential channels and, thus, plays a role in regulating electrical excitability in gastrointestinal myocytes, pancreatic β-cells, and neurons.

[9] Additionally, in the cardiovascular field, a genome-wide analysis of common variants demonstrated a substantial overlap in the genetic risk of ischemic stroke and coronary artery disease, such as the link between RASD1 and other loci such as RAI1 and PEMT.