This gene encodes an enzyme that converts the pancreatic proenzyme trypsinogen to trypsin, which activates other proenzymes including chymotrypsinogen and procarboxypeptidases. The precursor protein is cleaved into two chains that form a heterodimer linked by a disulfide bond. This protein is a member of the trypsin family of peptidases. Mutations in this gene cause enterokinase deficiency, a malabsorption disorder characterized by diarrhea and failure to thrive. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008].