Tetraspanin-32 is one of several tumor-suppressing subtransferable fragments located in the imprinted gene domain of 11p15.5, an important tumor-suppressor gene region. Alterations in this region have been associated with the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, Wilms tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma, adrenocortical carcinoma, and lung, ovarian, and breast cancer.

This gene is located among several imprinted genes; however, this gene, as well as the tumor-suppressing subchromosomal transferable fragment 4, escapes imprinting. This gene may play a role in malignancies and disease that involve this region as well as hematopoietic cell function. This gene is described as a member of the tetraspanin superfamily.