BRI3BP is a 251 amino acid multi-pass membrane protein. Though widely expressed, BRI3BP is found at highest levels in brain, kidney and liver where it localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and is involved in ER structural dynamics and mitochondrial viability. Possessing pro-apoptotic properties and the ability to potentiate drug-induced apoptosis, BRI3BP overexpression has been shown to enhance caspase-3 and mitochondrial cytochrome c release in etoposide-treated human embryonic kidney 293T cells. The gene encoding BRI3BP maps to human chromosome 12, which encodes over 1,100 genes and comprises approximately 4.5% of the human genome. Chromosome 12 is associated with a variety of diseases and afflictions, including hypochondrogenesis, achondrogenesis, Kniest dysplasia, Noonan syndrome and trisomy 12p, which causes facial developmental defects and seizure disorders.