This gene encodes a resident endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein that functions in N-glycan recognition. This protein is thought to be involved in ER-associated degradation via its interaction with the membrane-associated ubiquitin ligase complex. It also functions as a regulator of multiple cellular stress-response pathways in a manner that promotes metastatic cell survival. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. A related pseudogene has been identified on chromosome 21. [provided by RefSeq, Aug 2011].