Putative RNA-binding protein. May be involved in regulating gene expression during embryonic development. Seems to be involved in endoderm formation. Ectopic expression results in endoderm formation in the absence of mesoderm induction. Is enriched in the vegetal half of the oocyte. In stage II oocytes is present uniformly in the cytoplasm; at stage III, it is concentrated towards the vegetal pole and finally clearly accumulates in the vegetal cortex by stage IV and V. It is expressed throughout the oocyte cytoplasm, forming a vegetal-to-animal gradient. After fertilization, persists in the yolky endodermal cells until mid-blastula-transition (MBT). At MBT, is abundant in the large endodermal cells. By the gastrula stage, this endodermal core is found in the center of the embryo. At stage 12, is also independently expressed in the late dorsal blastopore lip. This expression continues in the midline of the neural tube and finally regresses to the tip of the tail. At stage 30 expressed in the floorplate. At tailbud stage, expression is also detected in the pronephros and pronephric duct. Belongs to the BicC family.