ZBED5 contains 1 BED type zinc finger and it may be derived from an ancient transposon that has lost its ability to translocate. This gene is unusual in that its coding sequence is mostly derived from Charlie like DNA transposon. There is mRNA and EST evidence to suggest that this gene is transcribed. The encoded protein shares 70% identity with Charlie 1 transposase, however, this gene does not appear to be an active DNA transposon as it is not flanked by terminal inverted repeats. The exact function of this gene product is not known.