This gene encodes a member of the matrix metalloproteinase family of extracellular matrix-degrading enzymes that are involved in tissue remodeling, wound repair, progression of atherosclerosis and tumor invasion. The encoded preproprotein undergoes proteolytic processing to generate a mature, zinc-dependent endopeptidase enzyme. Mice lacking the encoded protein develop a diet-induced obesity due to adipocyte hypertophy, exhibit decreased susceptibility to chemical carcinogen-induced skin tumors and early onset of tumoral angiogenesis. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms. [provided by RefSeq, Feb 2016]