該基因編碼的蛋白質是一種參與細胞間相互作用、細胞粘附和遷移的細胞表面糖蛋白。它是透明質酸（ha）的受體，也可以與其他配體相互作用，如骨橋蛋白、膠原和基質金屬蛋白酶（mmps）。該蛋白參與多種細胞功能，包括淋巴細胞活化、循環和歸巢、造血和腫瘤轉移。該基因的轉錄產物經過復雜的選擇性剪接，導致許多功能上不同的亞型，然而，還沒有確定其中一些變體的全長性質。選擇性剪接是該蛋白結構和功能多樣性的基礎，可能與腫瘤轉移有關。
The protein encoded by this gene is a cell-surface glycoprotein involved in cell-cell interactions, cell adhesion and migration. It is a receptor for hyaluronic acid (HA) and can also interact with other ligands, such as osteopontin, collagens, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). This protein participates in a wide variety of cellular functions including lymphocyte activation, recirculation and homing, hematopoiesis, and tumor metastasis. Transcripts for this gene undergo complex alternative splicing that results in many functionally distinct isoforms, however, the full length nature of some of these variants has not been determined. Alternative splicing is the basis for the structural and functional diversity of this protein, and may be related to tumor metastasis.