NEPH2 is a 778 amino acid single-pass type I membrane protein that belongs to the nephrin-like protein family and immunoglobulin superfamily. Expressed in both fetal and adult brain, as well as podocytes of kidney glomeruli, NEPH2 contains five Ig-like C2-type (immunoglobulin-like) domains and is thought to plaly a role in the hematopoetic supportive capacity of stroma cells. NEPH2 undergoes alternative splicing to produce two isoforms and contains a C-terminal cytoplasmic domain which it uses to interact with Podocin, a podocyte protein involved in ultrafiltration. Defects in the gene encoding NEPH2 are associated with mental retardation autosomal dominant type 4 (MRD4).