The protein encoded by this gene is a type II membrane protein that is thought to catalyze the transfer of sialic acid 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.[6]
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Beecken WD, Engl T, Ogbomo H, Relja B, Cinatl J, Bereiter-Hahn J, Oppermann E, Jonas D, Blaheta RA (April 2005). "Valproic acid modulates NCAM polysialylation and polysialyltransferase mRNA expression in human tumor cells". International Immunopharmacology. 5 (4): 757–69. doi:10.1016/j.intimp.2004.12.009. PMID15710344.
Arai M, Yamada K, Toyota T, Obata N, Haga S, Yoshida Y, Nakamura K, Minabe Y, Ujike H, Sora I, Ikeda K, Mori N, Yoshikawa T, Itokawa M (April 2006). "Association between polymorphisms in the promoter region of the sialyltransferase 8B (SIAT8B) gene and schizophrenia". Biological Psychiatry. 59 (7): 652–9. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.08.016. PMID16229822. S2CID349683.