May be involved in the cell-cell adhesion. May play a role in adipocyte differentiation and development of obesity. Is required for normal small intestine development. Predominantly expressed in epithelial cells within different tissues and in the white adipose tissue. Expressed at high levels in small intestine and placenta, at intermediate levels in the heart, skeletal muscle, colon, spleen, kidney and lung and at low levels in the liver and peripheral blood leukocytes. Highly abundant in the intestine during embryo and fetal development (at protein level). At 7 and 8 weeks of development, it is highly abundant in the rapidly dividing cells of the central and peripheral nervous systems, the mesenchyme of the frontonasal and mandibular processes and the dermamyotome, and it is expressed in the endodermal derivatives of the foregut, midgut, and hindgut, as well as in the liver, lung, esophagus, and trachea. During midterm fetal stages, 18 and 23 weeks of development, increased expression is observed in the intestinal crypts. Midterm liver and kidney tissues strongly express CLMP in the parenchyma of the lobules and cortex, respectively. Up-regulated in mature adipocytes and adipocyte tissue of obese individuals. The disease is caused by variants affecting the gene represented in this entry.