CMAH

CMAHP
Identifiers
Aliases	CMAHP, CMAH, CSAH, cytidine monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase, pseudogene
External IDs	MGI: 103227; GeneCards: CMAHP; OMA:CMAHP - orthologs
Gene location (Human)
Chr.	Chromosome 6 (human)
End	25,452,263 bp
Gene location (Mouse)
Chr.	Chromosome 13 (mouse)
End	24,661,360 bp
RNA expression pattern
	Top expressed in
	right uterine tube; ; olfactory zone of nasal mucosa; ; left lobe of thyroid gland; ; right lobe of thyroid gland; ; body of uterus; ; ascending aorta; ; bronchial epithelial cell; ; right coronary artery; ; Achilles tendon; ; Descending thoracic aorta;
	Top expressed in
	conjunctival fornix; ; left lobe of liver; ; mesenteric lymph nodes; ; blood; ; spleen; ; granulocyte; ; proximal tubule; ; right kidney; ; thymus; ; carotid body;
	More reference expression data
	n/a
Gene ontology
Molecular function	CMP-N-acetylneuraminate monooxygenase activity;
Cellular component	cytoplasm; cytoskeleton; membrane; nucleus;
Biological process	regulation of Wnt signaling pathway;
	Sources:Amigo / QuickGO
Orthologs
	8418
	12763
	ENSG00000168405
	ENSMUSG00000016756
	Q9Y471
	Q61419
	NM_003570
	NM_001111110; NM_001284519; NM_001284520; NM_007717
	n/a
	NP_001104580; NP_001271448; NP_001271449; NP_031743
	Wikidata
View/Edit Human	View/Edit Mouse

Cytidine monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (Cmah) is an enzyme that is encoded by the CMAH gene. In most mammals, the enzyme hydroxylates N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), producing N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc). Neu5Ac and Neu5Gc are mammalian glycans that compose the glycocalyx, especially in sialoglycoproteins, which are part of the sialic acid family. The CMAH equivalent in humans is a pseudogene (CMAHP); there is no detectable Neu5Gc in normal human tissue. This deficiency has a number of proposed effects on humans, including increased brain growth, improved self-recognition by the human immune system, and susceptibility to atherosclerosis. Incorporation of Neu5Gc from red meat and dairy into human tissues has been linked to chronic disease, including type-2 diabetes and chronic inflammation.