Alpha-2,8-sialyltransferase 8B is an
enzyme
Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecule ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''ST8SIA2''
gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...
.
Function
The protein encoded by this gene is a type II membrane protein that is thought to catalyze the transfer of
sialic acid Sialic acids are a class of alpha-keto acid sugars with a nine-carbon backbone.
The term "sialic acid" (from the Greek for saliva, - ''sÃalon'') was first introduced by Swedish biochemist Gunnar Blix in 1952. The most common member of this ...
from CMP-sialic acid to N-linked oligosaccharides and glycoproteins. The encoded protein may be found in the Golgi apparatus and may be involved in the production of polysialic acid, a modulator of the adhesive properties of neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM1). This protein is a member of glycosyltransferase family 29.
References
Further reading
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