This gene encodes an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of sulfate esters by oxidizing a cysteine residue in the substrate sulfatase to an active site 3-oxoalanine residue, which is also known as C-alpha-formylglycine. Mutations in this gene cause multiple sulfatase deficiency, a lysosomal storage disorder. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. [provided by RefSeq, Sep 2009].