Modification of cell surface molecules with sialic acid is crucial for thei
r function in many biological processes, including cell adhesion and signal
transduction, Uridine diphosphate-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase (UDP-GLc
NAc 2-epimerase) is an enzyme that catalyzes an early, rate-limiting step i
n the sialic acid biosynthetic pathway. UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase was found to
be a major determinant of cell surface sialylation in human hematopoietic
cell Lines and a critical regulator of the function of specific cell surfac
e adhesion molecules.