This enzyme is necessary for target cell lysis in cell-mediated immune responses. It cleaves after Asp. Seems to be linked to an activation cascade of caspases (aspartate-specific cysteine proteases) responsible for apoptosis execution. Cleaves caspase-3, -7, -9 and 10 to give rise to active enzymes mediating apoptosis.
[1]"Catalog of 680 variations among eight cytochrome p450 (CYP) genes, nine esterase genes, and two other genes in the Japanese population."Saito S., Iida A., Sekine A., Kawauchi S., Higuchi S., Ogawa C., Nakamura Y.J. Hum. Genet. 48:249-270