The protein is 1103 amino acids long, which like other DLC proteins consists of a sterile alpha motif (SAM), RhoGAP and a StAR-related lipid-transfer (START) domains.

Its expression inhibits the growth of human breast and prostate cancer cells in culture.

[7] The protein is expressed in tissues throughout the body, but is absent or reduced in many kinds of tumor cells.

[7] While there are no known disorders caused by STARD8, partial loss of the STARD8 gene occurs in cases of craniofrontonasal syndrome where the EFNB1 gene (which causes the syndrome) is completely deleted.

This article on a gene on the human X chromosome and/or its associated protein is a stub.