This gene belongs to the family defined by the mouse resistin-like genes. The characteristic feature of this family is the C-terminal stretch of 10 cys residues with identical spacing. The mouse homolog of this protein is secreted by adipocytes, and may be the hormone potentially linking obesity to type II diabetes. The encoded protein also has an antimicrobial role in skin, displaying antibacterial activity against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding the same protein have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2020]