This gene is expressed in the liver, and encodes a short peptide that is localized predominantly to the cytoplasm. Transient transfection studies showed that expression of this gene significantly inhibited cell growth, and it may have a role in apoptosis. Expression of this gene is downregulated or lost in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), suggesting that loss of this gene is involved in carcinogenesis of hepatocytes.[4] Also to note is that this gene maps to the 3'-noncoding region of the HEPACAM gene (GeneID:220296) on the antisense strand.[5]
^Moh MC, Lee LH, Yang X, Shen S (2003). "HEPN1, a novel gene that is frequently down-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma, suppresses cell growth and induces apoptosis in HepG2 cells". J Hepatol. 39 (4): 580–6. doi:10.1016/s0168-8278(03)00359-3. PMID12971969.
^Chung Moh M, Hoon Lee L, Shen S (2005). "Cloning and characterization of hepaCAM, a novel Ig-like cell adhesion molecule suppressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma". J Hepatol. 42 (6): 833–41. doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2005.01.025. PMID15885354.
