This gene is composed of 19 exons (16 coding), and codes for a protein containing 4 ankyrin repeats. This gene product is a component of the CCM signaling pathway, which is a crucial regulator of heart and vessel formation and integrity. In addition to the CCM signaling pathway, KRIT1 has been shown to be invovled in many other processes, ranging from negative regulatuion of cellular proliferation to aiding in the reduction of oxidative cellular damage.