彈性蛋白酶是絲氨酸蛋白酶的一個亞家族，除彈性蛋白酶外，還可以水解許多蛋白質。人類有六個彈性蛋白酶基因，編碼結構相似的蛋白質。編碼的前蛋白經蛋白質水解處理產生活性蛋白酶。激活后，這種蛋白酶水解專門的中性粒細胞溶酶體中的蛋白質，稱為嗜藍粒細胞顆粒，以及細胞外基質的蛋白質。這種酶可能通過IV型膠原和彈性蛋白的蛋白水解在退行性和炎癥性疾病中發揮作用。該蛋白還能降解大腸桿菌外膜蛋白a（ompa）以及志賀氏菌、沙門氏菌、耶爾森菌等細菌的毒力因子。該基因突變與周期性中性粒細胞減少癥和嚴重先天性中性粒細胞減少癥（SCN）有關。這個基因存在于19號染色體上的一個基因簇中。[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]