Involved in ciliogenesis. Involved in the establishment of cell polarity required for directional cell migration (PubMed:25877302). Proposed to act in association with the CPLANE (ciliogenesis and planar polarity effectors) complex. Involved in recruitment of peripheral IFT-A proteins to basal bodies (PubMed:27158779). Interacts with FUZ; INTU and WDPCP; the interactors are proposed to form the core CPLANE (ciliogenesis and planar polarity effectors) complex (PubMed:27158779). Localizes to the ciliary transition zone. Defects in Jbts17 are the cause of the Hug (Heart under glass) phenotype which is a model of Joubert syndrome. Hug mice die prenatally and show skelatal dysplasia, craniofacial defects, polydactyly, cystic kidney, cerebellar hypoplasia and congenital heart defects of varying degrees. Most severely affected mutants die at mid-gestation with a transparent chest wall due to complete failure to form the rib cage. The phenotype is consistent with the spectrum of MKS-BBS-Joubert syndrome phenotypes. Truncated N-terminus. Contaminating sequence. Intron sequences at both 5' and 3' ends.