May act as a zinc-influx transporter. Found in the endoplasmic reticulum when overexpressed. Highly expressed in the brain and testis. In the brain strongly expressed in the CA1 and CA3 regions, Purkinje cells in cerebellum and dentate gyrus in hippocampus. In testis found in spermatids or mature sperms in the central areas of seminiferous tubules. Induced during neuronal differentiation neuroblastoma cells line but down-regulated during myogenic differentiation of skeletal muscle cells line. Belongs to the ZIP transporter (TC 2.A.5) family.