Ctsz - cathepsin Z

This gene encodes a member of the peptidase C1 (papain) family of cysteine proteases. The encoded preproprotein is proteolytically processed to generate a mature enzyme with carboxypeptidase activity. An enzymatically inactive form of the protein, that is associated with the propeptide, may be involved in cancer cell invasion and proliferation. Homozygous knockout mice for this gene exhibit impaired cancer cell invasion in a breast cancer model. [provided by RefSeq, Aug 2015]