This gene encodes a member of the ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease domain) family. Members of this family are membrane-anchored proteins structurally related to snake venom disintegrins, and have been implicated in a variety of biological processes involving cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, including fertilization, muscle development, and neurogenesis. The encoded protein is a subunit of an integral sperm membrane glycoprotein called fertilin, which plays an important role in sperm-egg interactions. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms.