Is predicted to encode a protein with the following domains: Alpha crystallin/Small heat shock protein, animal type; Hsp20/alpha crystallin family; Alpha crystallin/Hsp20 domain; and HSP20-like chaperone. Is an ortholog of C. elegans hsp-16.41. In C. elegans, hsp-16.41 is involved in defense response to Gram-negative bacterium and response to heat.