Automated description from the Alliance of Genome Resources (Release 7.0.0)
Enables cholesterol binding activity. Involved in cholesterol efflux and intracellular cholesterol transport. Acts upstream of or within several processes, including cholesterol storage; sterol metabolic process; and sterol transport. Located in extracellular space. Is active in lysosome. Is expressed in brain; paravertebral ganglion; respiratory system; stomach; and ventral grey horn. Used to study Niemann-Pick disease. Human ortholog(s) of this gene implicated in Niemann-Pick disease and Niemann-Pick disease type C2. Orthologous to human NPC2 (NPC intracellular cholesterol transporter 2).