Alpha (1,6) fucosyltransferase 8, also known as FUT8, is a member of the glycosyltransferase family. Fucosyltransferases are the enzymes transferring fucose from GDP-Fuc to Gal in an alpha1,2-linkage and to GlcNAc in alpha1,3-linkage, alpha1,4-linkage, or alpha1,6-linkage. All fucosyltransferases utilize the same nucleotide sugar, their specificity reside in the recognition of the acceptor and in the type of linkage formed. Fucosyltransferases share some common structural and catalytic features. On the basis of protein sequence similarities, these enzymes can be classified into four distinct families: (1) the alpha-2-fucosyltransferases, (2) the alpha-3-fucosyltransferases, (3) the mammalian alpha-6-fucosyltransferases, and (4) the bacterial alpha-6-fucosyltransferases. The alpha-3-fucosyltransferases constitute a distinct family as they lack the consensus peptide, but some regions display similarities with the alpha-2 and alpha-6-fucosyltranferases.
