該基因編碼表皮生長因子超家族的一個成員。編碼的前蛋白被蛋白水解產生53個氨基酸的表皮生長因子肽。這種蛋白是一種有效的有絲分裂因子，在多種細胞類型的生長、增殖和分化中起著重要作用。這種蛋白通過與細胞表面受體、表皮生長因子受體高親和力結合而起作用。該基因缺陷是導致4型低鎂血癥的原因。這種基因的失調與某些癌癥的生長和發展有關。選擇性剪接導致多個轉錄變體，其中至少一個編碼蛋白水解前處理。
This gene encodes a member of the epidermal growth factor superfamily. The encoded preproprotein is proteolytically processed to generate the 53-amino acid epidermal growth factor peptide. This protein acts a potent mitogenic factor that plays an important role in the growth, proliferation and differentiation of numerous cell types. This protein acts by binding with high affinity to the cell surface receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor. Defects in this gene are the cause of hypomagnesemia type 4. Dysregulation of this gene has been associated with the growth and progression of certain cancers. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants, at least one of which encodes a preproprotein that is proteolytically processed.