弹性蛋白酶是丝氨酸蛋白酶的一个亚家族，除弹性蛋白酶外，还可以水解许多蛋白质。人类有六个弹性蛋白酶基因，编码结构相似的蛋白质。编码的前蛋白经蛋白质水解处理产生活性蛋白酶。激活后，这种蛋白酶水解专门的中性粒细胞溶酶体中的蛋白质，称为嗜蓝粒细胞颗粒，以及细胞外基质的蛋白质。这种酶可能通过IV型胶原和弹性蛋白的蛋白水解在退行性和炎症性疾病中发挥作用。该蛋白还能降解大肠杆菌外膜蛋白a（ompa）以及志贺氏菌、沙门氏菌、耶尔森菌等细菌的毒力因子。该基因突变与周期性中性粒细胞减少症和严重先天性中性粒细胞减少症（SCN）有关。这个基因存在于19号染色体上的一个基因簇中。[由RefSeq提供，2016年1月]
Elastases form a subfamily of serine proteases that hydrolyze many proteins in addition to elastin. Humans have six elastase genes which encode structurally similar proteins. The encoded preproprotein is proteolytically processed to generate the active protease. Following activation, this protease hydrolyzes proteins within specialized neutrophil lysosomes, called azurophil granules, as well as proteins of the extracellular matrix. The enzyme may play a role in degenerative and inflammatory diseases through proteolysis of collagen-IV and elastin. This protein also degrades the outer membrane protein A (OmpA) of E. coli as well as the virulence factors of such bacteria as Shigella, Salmonella and Yersinia. Mutations in this gene are associated with cyclic neutropenia and severe congenital neutropenia (SCN). This gene is present in a gene cluster on chromosome 19. [provided by RefSeq, Jan 2016]