The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the sialyltransferase family. Members of this family are enzymes that transfer sialic acid from the activated cytidine 5'-monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid to terminal positions on sialylated glycolipids (gangliosides) or to the N- or O-linked sugar chains of glycoproteins. This protein has high specificity for neolactotetraosylceramide and neolactohexaosylceramide as glycolipid substrates and may contribute to the formation of selectin ligands and sialyl Lewis X, a carbohydrate important for cell-to-cell recognition and a blood group antigen. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants that encode different protein isoforms. [provided by RefSeq, Sep 2012].
Jia, Barclay, Roberts, Yen, Chan, Lam, Air, Peiris, Dell, Nicholls, Haslam: "Glycomic characterization of respiratory tract tissues of ferrets: implications for its use in influenza virus infection studies." in: The Journal of biological chemistry, Vol. 289, Issue 41, pp. 28489-504, (2014) (PubMed).