May act as a physical homophilic interaction molecule between intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) at the mucosal epithelium for providing immunological barrier as a first line of defense against mucosal infection. Plays a role in embryonic stem cells proliferation and differentiation. Up-regulates the expression of FABP5, MYC and cyclins A and E. Monomer. Interacts with phosphorylated CLDN7. Colocalizes with CLDN7 at the lateral cell membrane and tight junction. Highly and selectively expressed by undifferentiated rather than differentiated embryonic stem cells (ESC). Levels rapidly diminish as soon as ESC's differentiate (at protein levels). Expressed in almost all epithelial cell membranes but not on mesodermal or neural cell membranes. Found on the surface of adenocarcinoma. Hyperglycosylated in carcinoma tissue as compared with autologous normal epithelia. Glycosylation at Asn-198 is crucial for protein stability. The disease is caused by variants affecting the gene represented in this entry. The disease is caused by variants affecting the gene represented in this entry. HNPCC8 results from heterozygous deletion of 3-prime exons of EPCAM and intergenic regions directly upstream of MSH2, resulting in transcriptional read-through and epigenetic silencing of MSH2 in tissues expressing EPCAM. Belongs to the EPCAM family.