A4GALT explained

Lactosylceramide 4-alpha-galactosyltransferase is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the A4GALT gene.^{[1] [2]}

The protein encoded by this gene catalyzes the transfer of galactose to lactosylceramide to form globotriaosylceramide, 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.^[2]

Further reading

• Dunham I, Shimizu N, Roe BA . The DNA sequence of human chromosome 22. . Nature . 402 . 6761 . 489–95 . 1999 . 10591208 . 10.1038/990031 . 1999Natur.402..489D . etal. free .
• Steffensen R, Carlier K, Wiels J . Cloning and expression of the histo-blood group Pk UDP-galactose: Ga1beta-4G1cbeta1-cer alpha1, 4-galactosyltransferase. Molecular genetic basis of the p phenotype. . J. Biol. Chem. . 275 . 22 . 16723–9 . 2000 . 10747952 . 10.1074/jbc.M000728200 . etal. free .
• Kojima Y, Fukumoto S, Furukawa K . Molecular cloning of globotriaosylceramide/CD77 synthase, a glycosyltransferase that initiates the synthesis of globo series glycosphingolipids. . J. Biol. Chem. . 275 . 20 . 15152–6 . 2000 . 10748143 . 10.1074/jbc.M909620199 . etal. free .
• Furukawa K, Iwamura K, Uchikawa M . Molecular basis for the p phenotype. Identification of distinct and multiple mutations in the alpha 1,4-galactosyltransferase gene in Swedish and Japanese individuals. . J. Biol. Chem. . 275 . 48 . 37752–6 . 2001 . 10993874 . 10.1074/jbc.C000625200 . etal. free .
• Furukawa K, Yokoyama K, Sato T . Expression of the Gb3/CD77 synthase gene in megakaryoblastic leukemia cells: implication in the sensitivity to verotoxins. . J. Biol. Chem. . 277 . 13 . 11247–54 . 2002 . 11782470 . 10.1074/jbc.M109519200 . etal. free.
• Koda Y, Soejima M, Sato H . Three-base deletion and one-base insertion of the alpha(1,4)galactosyltransferase gene responsible for the P phenotype. . Transfusion . 42 . 1 . 48–51 . 2002 . 11896312 . 10.1046/j.1537-2995.2002.00014.x . 36675818 . etal.
• Mammalian Gene Collection Program Team . 4 . Strausberg . R. L. . Feingold . E. A. . Grouse . L. H. . Derge . J. G. . Klausner . R. D. . Collins . F. S. . Wagner . L. . Shenmen . C. M. . Schuler . G. D. . 10.1073/pnas.242603899 . Generation and initial analysis of more than 15,000 full-length human and mouse cDNA sequences . . 99 . 26 . 16899–16903 . 139241 . 2002 . 12477932. 2002PNAS...9916899M . free .
• Iwamura K, Furukawa K, Uchikawa M . The blood group P1 synthase gene is identical to the Gb3/CD77 synthase gene. A clue to the solution of the P1/P2/p puzzle. . J. Biol. Chem. . 278 . 45 . 44429–38 . 2004 . 12888565 . 10.1074/jbc.M301609200 . etal. free .
• Hellberg A, Ringressi A, Yahalom V . Genetic heterogeneity at the glycosyltransferase loci underlying the GLOB blood group system and collection. . Br. J. Haematol. . 125 . 4 . 528–36 . 2004 . 15142124 . 10.1111/j.1365-2141.2004.04930.x . etal. free .
• Gerhard DS, Wagner L, Feingold EA . The status, quality, and expansion of the NIH full-length cDNA project: the Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC). . Genome Res. . 14 . 10B . 2121–7 . 2004 . 15489334 . 10.1101/gr.2596504 . 528928 . etal.

Notes and References

1. Keusch JJ, Manzella SM, Nyame KA, Cummings RD, Baenziger JU . Cloning of Gb3 synthase, the key enzyme in globo-series glycosphingolipid synthesis, predicts a family of alpha 1, 4-glycosyltransferases conserved in plants, insects, and mammals. . J Biol Chem . 275 . 33 . 25315–21 . Sep 2000 . 10854428 . 10.1074/jbc.M002630200 . free .
2. Web site: Entrez Gene: A4GALT alpha 1,4-galactosyltransferase (globotriaosylceramide synthase).