This gene encodes one of several deubiquitylating enzymes. Ubiquitin modification of proteins is needed for their stability and function; to reverse the process, deubiquityling enzymes remove ubiquitin. This protein contains an OTU domain and binds Ubal (ubiquitin aldehyde); an active cysteine protease site is present in the OTU domain. [provided by RefSeq, Aug 2011].