This gene encodes an enzyme that catalyzes the epimerization of hexose sugars such as glucose and galactose. The encoded protein is expressed in the cytoplasm and has a preference for galactose. The encoded protein may be required for normal galactose metabolism by maintaining the equilibrium of alpha and beta anomers of galactose.[provided by RefSeq, Mar 2009].
Pai, Chen, Zhang, Zolfaghari, Ross: "Galactomutarotase and other galactose-related genes are rapidly induced by retinoic acid in human myeloid cells." in: Biochemistry, Vol. 46, Issue 51, pp. 15198-207, (2007) (PubMed).