Secreted scaffold protein that plays an essential role in dorsoventral patterning during early development. Stabilizes axial formation by restricting chordin (CHRD) activity on the dorsal side. Acts by facilitating the association between the tolloid proteases and their substrate chordin (CHRD), leading to enhance chordin (CHRD) degradation (By similarity). May have matrix-related function involved in placental and embryonic development, or play a similar role in other physiological processes.
Subcellular locations: Secreted
Abundant in placenta, moderate in liver and heart, whereas fairly weak in other tissues examined. On term placenta, mainly localized extracellularly surrounding the syncytiotrophoblastic cells and very rarely expressed in the maternal decidua layer.