Involved in dorsal-ventral embryonic patterning, by promoting expression of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) antagonists such as chd. Also involved in anterior-posterior neural patterning and in mesoderm induction. Expressed both maternally and zygotically. Zygotic expression occurs in two stages: late blastulation/early gastrulation with greatest expression in the embryonic shield; and during segmentation with expression in the somites and presomitic mesoderm. Belongs to the heparin-binding growth factors family.