这个基因编码一种与BRCA1的N端区域相互作用的蛋白质。除了在体内和体外结合BRCA1的能力外，它还与BRCA1最保守的2个区域具有同源性：N端环基序和C端BRCT域。环基序是一个富含半胱氨酸的序列，存在于多种调节细胞生长的蛋白质中，包括肿瘤抑制基因和显性原癌基因的产物。该蛋白还含有3个串联锚蛋白重复序列。bard1/brca1相互作用被brca1中的致瘤氨基酸取代破坏，这意味着在这些蛋白质之间形成稳定的复合物可能是brca1肿瘤抑制的一个重要方面。这种蛋白可能是乳腺癌或卵巢癌致癌突变的靶点。该基因有多种编码不同亚型的选择性剪接转录变体。
This gene encodes a protein which interacts with the N-terminal region of BRCA1. In addition to its ability to bind BRCA1 in vivo and in vitro, it shares homology with the 2 most conserved regions of BRCA1: the N-terminal RING motif and the C-terminal BRCT domain. The RING motif is a cysteine-rich sequence found in a variety of proteins that regulate cell growth, including the products of tumor suppressor genes and dominant protooncogenes. This protein also contains 3 tandem ankyrin repeats. The BARD1/BRCA1 interaction is disrupted by tumorigenic amino acid substitutions in BRCA1, implying that the formation of a stable complex between these proteins may be an essential aspect of BRCA1 tumor suppression. This protein may be the target of oncogenic mutations in breast or ovarian cancer. Multiple alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene.