The protein encoded by this gene is a membrane protein involved in the metabolism of retinol. The encoded protein acts as a receptor for retinol/retinol binding protein complexes. This protein removes the retinol from the complex and transports it across the cell membrane. Defects in this gene are a cause of syndromic microphthalmia type 9 (MCOPS9). Several transcript variants encoding a few different isoforms have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Dec 2008].