Enables chaperone binding activity. Involved in several processes, including cellular response to hypoxia; chaperone-mediated autophagy; and response to ischemia. Located in cytoplasm and nucleus. Human ortholog(s) of this gene implicated in autosomal recessive spinocerebellar ataxia 16 and cerebellar ataxia type 48. Orthologous to human STUB1 (STIP1 homology and U-box containing protein 1). [provided by Alliance of Genome Resources, Apr 2022]