TRIC-A is a 33kDa[7] transmembrane protein, expressed predominantly in excitable tissues including skeletal muscle and brain.

TMEM38A-knockout mice exhibit reduced Ryanodine receptor 1-mediated Ca2+ release;[5] as such, K+ flux into the SR through TRIC-A is thought to support RyR1-mediated efflux of Ca2+ ions from the sarcoplasmic reticulum into the cytosol.

[5] Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in close proximity to the TRIC-A locus increase the risk of hypertension and reduce the efficiency of antihypertensive drugs in its treatment.

[8] Such SNPs are in positive linkage disequilibrium with TRIC-A, meaning they are unlikely to be separated by genetic recombination and so are more frequently inherited together from the same parent chromosome.

As such, TRIC-A SNPs can provide biomarkers for the diagnosis of essential hypertension and, in future, may help to determine which treatments may be most well-suited to a given individual[5] (see personalized medicine).