zmpste24 is a human gene. the protein encoded by this gene is a metallopeptidase. it is involved in the processing of lamin a. defects in the zmpste24 gene lead to similar laminopathies as defects in lamin a, because the latter is a substrate for the former. in humans, a mutation abolishing the zmpste24 cleavage site in prelamin a causes a progeroid disorder. failure to correctly process prelamin a leads to deficient ability to repair dna double-strand breaks.