Secreted aspartic peptidases (SAPs) are a group of ten acidic hydrolases considered as key virulence factors. These enzymes supply the fungus with nutrient amino acids as well as are able to degrade the selected host's proteins involved in the immune defense. Involved in triggering host polymorphonuclear neutrophils chemotaxis toward germ tubes. Moreover, acts toward human hemoglobin though limited proteolysis to generate a variety of antimicrobial hemocidins, enabling to compete with the other microorganisms of the same physiological niche using the microbicidal peptides generated from the host protein. Required for cell surface integrity and cell separation during budding. Preferential cleavage at the carboxyl of hydrophobic amino acids, but fails to cleave 15-Leu-|-Tyr-16, 16-Tyr-|-Leu-17 and 24-Phe-|-Phe-25 of insulin B chain. Activates trypsinogen, and degrades keratin. Optimum pH is 5.5. Induced by fluconazole. Expression is regulated by growth phase, temperature, and white-opaque switch. O-glycosylated. The GPI-anchor is attached to the protein in the endoplasmic reticulum and serves to target the protein to the cell surface. There, the glucosamine-inositol phospholipid moiety is cleaved off and the GPI-modified mannoprotein is covalently attached via its lipidless GPI glycan remnant to the 1,6-beta-glucan of the outer cell wall layer. Belongs to the peptidase A1 family.