Background：

This gene encodes a transmembrane glycoprotein related to the type I receptors of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) family， whose members play important roles in signal transduction in many developmental and pathological processes. The encoded protein however is a pseudoreceptor， lacking an intracellular serine/threonine kinase domain required for signaling. Similar proteins in frog， mouse and zebrafish function as negative regulators of TGF-beta， which has led to the suggestion that the encoded protein may function to limit the signaling range of the TGF-beta family during early embryogenesis.