We inserted a full-length murine cDNA, which had been isolated from F9 embryonal carcinoma cells by using a bovine lactose synthetase A protein cDNA as a probe, in a mammalian expression vector (pCMGT1) and expressed it in COS-1 cells to characterize the pCMGTl -directed enzyme. The galactosyltransferase activity toward asialo-agalacto-transferrin (AsAg-Tf) in the pCMGTl -transfected cells was approximately eightfold higher than that in mock-or non-transfected cells. In contrast, no difference was observed in the specific activity of galactose transfer between pCMGTl -transfected cells and mock-or non-transfected cells when asialo-ovine submaxillary mucin were used as an acceptor. Since almost all [3H]galactose incorporated into the AsAg-Tf was released by digestion with streptococcal j-galactosidase, most of the linkage created by this enzyme was in the Galbl-4GlcNAc group.The acceptor specificity of the pCMGTl -directed enzyme was changed from N-acetylglucosamine to glucose by adding a-lactalbumin in the reaction mixture. a-Lactalbumin also partially inhibited the galactose transfer to AsAg-Tf. The kinetic study revealed that the apparent K, values of the pCMGT1-directed enzyme for N-acetylglucosamine, AsAg-Tf and UDP-Gal are 2 mM, 60 pM and 24 pM, respectively.These results indicated that the murine cDNA isolated from F9 cells encodes an active enzyme which catalyzes not only the lactose synthesis but also the transfer of galactose to N-acetylglucosamine residues of Asn-linked sugar chains of glycoproteins in a j1-4 linkage The carbohydrate moieties of glycoproteins, glycolipids and proteoglycans are synthesized through a series of sugar chain elongation reactions which are catalyzed by specific glycosyltransferases [l]. A fl1-4galactosyltransferase (UDPGal :N-acetylglucosamine /?1-4galactosyltransferase ; PI -4-GalT is a member of the glycosyltransferase family. This enzyme catalyzes the transfer of galactose from UDP-Gal to N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) with the specific intersugar linkage, Galpl-4GlcNAc. During the last two decades, a number of investigators have reported the purification and characterization of jl-4GalTs from various sources such as human and bovine milk [2, 31, swine [ll]. Among these /31-4GalTs, a milk b1-4GalT (lactose synthetase A protein) is capable of recognizing glucose as an acceptor in the presence of a-lactalbumin (lactose synthetase B protein) [12]. The fll-4GalT activities purified from other tissues toward N-acetylglucosamine were also reported to be inhibited by a-lactalbumin, and the acceptor specificities of these b1-4GalTs were analogous to thatCorrespondence to H. Narimatsu,