This gene, the result of a duplication at this locus, is one of two functional genes encoding nearly identical proteins that have similar expression patterns. The product of this gene is a protein that shares homology with the Drosophila gonadal protein, expressed in gonadal tissues and germ cells, and with the human laminin gamma-1 chain that functions in cell attachment and migration. This gene is located in a region of chromosome 22 implicated in the DiGeorge syndrome, one facet of a broader collection of anomalies referred to as the CATCH 22 syndrome.