It was first isolated in 1986 by Stevenson and Goodenough using a monoclonal antibody raised in rodent liver to recognise a 225-kD polypeptide in whole liver homogenates and in tight junction-enriched membrane fractions.

[6] It has a role as a scaffold protein which cross-links and anchors Tight Junction (TJ) strand proteins, which are fibril-like structures within the lipid bilayer, to the actin cytoskeleton.

[7] This gene encodes a protein located on a cytoplasmic membrane surface of intercellular tight junctions.

The encoded protein may be involved in signal transduction at cell–cell junctions.

Two transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms have been identified for this gene.