Klk8 - kallikrein related-peptidase 8

This gene encodes a member of the kallikrein subfamily of serine proteases that are involved in diverse physiological functions such as skin desquamation, tooth enamel formation, seminal liquefaction, synaptic neural plasticity and brain function. The encoded preproprotein undergoes proteolytic cleavage of the activation peptide to generate the functional enzyme. Mice lacking the encoded protein exhibit impaired long-term potentiation and increased anxiety, as well as a hyperkeratosis phenotype. This gene is located in a cluster of several related kallikrein genes on chromosome 7. [provided by RefSeq, May 2016]