At the nuclear envelope, the nuclear lamina and heterochromatin are adjacent to the inner nuclear membrane. The protein encoded by this gene binds DNA and is a component of heterochromatin. This protein also can bind lamin B receptor, an integral membrane protein found in the inner nuclear membrane. The dual binding functions of the encoded protein may explain the association of heterochromatin with the inner nuclear membrane. This protein binds histone H3 tails methylated at Lys-9 sites. This protein is also recruited to sites of ultraviolet-induced DNA damage and double-strand breaks. Two transcript variants encoding the same protein but differing in the 5' UTR, have been found for this gene.