The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the sodium/bile acid cotransporter family, which are integral membrane glycoproteins that participate in the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids. Two homologous transporters are involved in the reabsorption of bile acids; the ileal sodium/bile acid cotransporter with an apical cell localization that absorbs bile acids from the intestinal lumen, bile duct and kidney, and the liver-specific sodium/bile acid cotransporter, represented by this protein, that is found in the basolateral membranes of hepatocytes. Bile acids are the catabolic product of cholesterol metabolism, hence this protein is important for cholesterol homeostasis. [provided by RefSeq, Oct 2011]