This gene encodes a member of the carboxypeptidase A family of zinc metalloproteases and preproprotein that is proteolytically processed to generate a mature protein product. This product is released by mast cells and may be involved in the degradation of endogenous proteins and the inactivation of venom-associated peptides. Homozygous knockout mice for this gene exhibit impaired mast cell development. [provided by RefSeq, Aug 2015]