This gene encodes an integral membrane protein that is secreted from intracellular zymogen granules and associates with the plasma membrane via glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) linkage. The encoded protein binds pathogens such as enterobacteria, thereby playing an important role in the innate immune response. The C-terminus of this protein is related to the C-terminus of the protein encoded by the neighboring gene, uromodulin (UMOD). Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. [provided by RefSeq, Jan 2015].