This gene is a maternally expressed imprinted gene. Multiple alternatively spliced transcript variants have been transcribed from this gene and all of them are long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). This gene is expressed in many normal tissues, but its expression is lost in multiple cancer cell lines of various tissue origins. It inhibits tumor cell proliferation in vitro. It also interacts with the tumor suppressor p53, and regulates p53 target gene expression. Its deletion enhances angiogenesis in vivo. Many experimental evidences demonstrate that this gene is a lncRNA tumor suppressor.
