Hpn - hepsin

This gene encodes a type II transmembrane serine protease that may function in diverse processes, including regulation of cell growth. Deficiency in this gene results in hearing loss. The protein is cleaved into a catalytic serine protease chain and a non-catalytic scavenger receptor cysteine-rich chain, which associate via a single disulfide bond. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding multiple isoforms have been observed for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Jan 2013]