The protein encoded by this gene is a lysosomal cysteine proteinase composed of a dimer of disulfide-linked heavy and light chains, both produced from a single protein precursor. It is also known as amyloid precursor protein secretase and is involved in the proteolytic processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP). Incomplete proteolytic processing of APP has been suggested to be a causative factor in Alzheimer disease, the most common cause of dementia. Overexpression of the encoded protein,