This gene is a member of the MYC family and encodes a protein with a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) domain. This protein is located in the nucleus and must dimerize with another bHLH protein in order to bind DNA. Amplification of this gene is associated with a variety of tumors, most notably neuroblastomas. Multiple alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene.