This gene is a retrotransposon-derived, paternally expressed imprinted gene that is highly expressed at the late fetal stage in both the fetus and placenta. It has an overlapping maternally expressed antisense transcript, which contains several microRNAs targeting the transcripts of this gene through an RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism. This gene is essential for maintenance of the fetal capillaries. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2009].