Podocin is an important member of a group of proteins shown to be associated with the slit diaphragm. Podocin belongs to the band 7 stomatin family of lipid raft-associated proteins. It is a hairpin like integral membrane protein with intracellular N and C termini. Podocin is located at the insertion site of the slit membrane, and is thought to act as a scaffold protein required to maintain or regulate the structural integrity of the slit diaphragm. It plays a role in the regulation of glomerular permeability, acting probably as a linker between the plasma membrane and the cytoskeleton.