GALNT2 encodes polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 2, a member of the GalNAc-transferases family. This family transfers an N-acetyl galactosamine to the hydroxyl group of a serine or threonine residue in the first step of O-linked oligosaccharide biosynthesis. The localization site of this particular enzyme is preponderantly the trans-Golgi. Individual GalNAc-transferases have distinct activities and initiation of O-glycosylation in a cell is regulated by a repertoire of GalNAc-transferases.

The GALNT2 cDNA encodes a predicted 571-amino acid protein of approximately 64 kD.GALNT1, GALNT2, and GALNT3 genes contain 11, 16, and 10 exons, respectively. Several intron/exon boundaries are conserved within the 3 genes.