This gene encodes a member of the SFRP family that contains a cysteine-rich domain homologous to the putative Wnt-binding site of Frizzled proteins. Members of this family act as soluble modulators of Wnt signaling; epigenetic silencing of SFRP genes leads to deregulated activation of the Wnt-pathway which is associated with cancer. This gene may also be involved in determining the polarity of photoreceptor cells in the retina. [provided by RefSeq, Sep 2009].