Lactosylceramide 4-alpha-galactosyltransferase is an
enzyme
An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''A4GALT''
gene
In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...
.
The protein encoded by this gene catalyzes the transfer of
galactose
Galactose (, ''wikt:galacto-, galacto-'' + ''wikt:-ose#Suffix 2, -ose'', ), sometimes abbreviated Gal, is a monosaccharide sugar that is about as sweetness, sweet as glucose, and about 65% as sweet as sucrose. It is an aldohexose and a C-4 epime ...
to
lactosylceramide
The Lactosylceramides, also known as LacCer, are a class of glycosphingolipids composed of a variable hydrophobic ceramide lipid and a hydrophilic sugar moiety. Lactosylceramides are found in microdomains on the plasma layers of numerous cells ...
to form
globotriaosylceramide
Globotriaosylceramide is a globoside. It is also known as CD77, Gb3, GL3, and ceramide trihexoside. It is one of the few clusters of differentiation that is not a protein.
It is formed by the alpha linkage of galactose to lactosylceramide cataly ...
, which has been identified as the P(k) antigen of the P blood group system. The encoded protein, which is a type II membrane protein found in the Golgi, is also required for the synthesis of the bacterial verotoxins receptor.
References
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Human proteins
{{gene-22-stub