ASZ1 (ankyrin repeat, SAM and basic leucine zipper domain-containing protein 1), also known as ANKL1, ALP1 (Ankyrin-like protein 1), GASZ (germ cell-specific ankyrin, SAM and basic leucine zipper domain-containing protein) or Orf3, is a 475 amino acid protein that is suggested to function as a signal transducer during germ cell maturation. Localized to the cytoplasm of pachytene spermatocytes, early spermatids and oocytes, ASZ1 is primarily found in adult testis and ovary where it mediates protein-protein interactions. ASZ1 contains six ANK repeats, one SAM (sterile alpha motif) domain and is encoded by a gene located on human chromosome 7q31, a region that may have an important role in the development certain types of human cancer.