Alpha-N-acetylneuraminide alpha-2,8-sialyltransferase is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ST8SIA1gene.[5][6]
Gangliosides are membrane-bound glycosphingolipids containing sialic acid. Ganglioside GD3 is known to be important for cell adhesion and growth of cultured malignant cells. The protein encoded by ST8SIA1 is a type II membrane protein that catalyzes the transfer of sialic acid from CMP-sialic acid to GM3 to produce gangliosides GD3 and GT3. The encoded protein may be found in the Golgi apparatus and is a member of glycosyltransferase family 29.[6]
In melanocytic cells, ST8SIA1 gene expression may be regulated by MITF.[7]
Sasaki K, Kurata K, Kojima N, et al. (1994). "Expression cloning of a GM3-specific alpha-2,8-sialyltransferase (GD3 synthase)". J. Biol. Chem. 269 (22): 15950–6. PMID8195250.
Matsuda Y, Nara K, Watanabe Y, et al. (1996). "Chromosome mapping of the GD3 synthase gene (SIAT8) in human and mouse". Genomics. 32 (1): 137–9. doi:10.1006/geno.1996.0090. PMID8786103.
De Maria R, Lenti L, Malisan F, et al. (1997). "Requirement for GD3 ganglioside in CD95- and ceramide-induced apoptosis". Science. 277 (5332): 1652–5. doi:10.1126/science.277.5332.1652. PMID9287216.
Zeng G, Gao L, Suetake K, et al. (2002). "Variations in gene expression patterns correlated with phenotype of F-11 tumor cells whose expression of GD3-synthase is suppressed". Cancer Lett. 178 (1): 91–8. doi:10.1016/S0304-3835(01)00817-5. PMID11849746.
Furukawa K, Horie M, Okutomi K, et al. (2003). "Isolation and functional analysis of the melanoma specific promoter region of human GD3 synthase gene". Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1627 (2–3): 71–8. doi:10.1016/s0167-4781(03)00076-9. PMID12818424.