Subfamily of Glycosyltransferase Family GT2 of unknown function. GT-2 includes diverse families of glycosyltransferases with a common GT-A type structural fold, which has two tightly associated beta/alpha/beta domains that tend to form a continuous central sheet of at least eight beta-strands. These are enzymes that catalyze the transfer of sugar moieties from activated donor molecules to specific acceptor molecules, forming glycosidic bonds. Glycosyltransferases have been classified into more than 90 distinct sequence based families.
Glucosylceramide synthase catalyzes the first glycosylation step of glycosphingolipid synthesis. UDP-glucose:N-acylsphingosine D-glucosyltransferase (glucosylceramide synthase or ceramide glucosyltransferase) catalyzes the first glycosylation step of glycosphingolipid synthesis. Its product, glucosylceramide, serves as the core of more than 300 glycosphingolipids (GSL). GSLs are a group of membrane components that have the lipid portion embedded in the outer plasma membrane leaflet and the sugar chains extended to the outer environment. Several lines of evidence suggest the importance of GSLs in various cellular processes such as differentiation, adhesion, proliferation, and cell-cell recognition. In pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, glucosylceramide serves as an antigen that elicits an antibody response in patients and it is essential for fungal growth in host extracellular environment.