GENE REFERENCE / HGNC:4135
GALT
galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase
What does this gene do?
The GALT gene provides instructions for making an enzyme called galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase. This enzyme enables the body to process a simple sugar called galactose, which is present in small amounts in many foods. Galactose is primarily part of a larger sugar called lactose, which is found in all dairy products and many baby formulas.
Galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase is responsible for one step in a chemical process that breaks down galactose into other molecules that can be used by the body. Specifically, this enzyme converts a modified form of galactose (galactose-1-phosphate) to glucose, which is another simple sugar. Glucose is the main energy source for most cells. This chemical reaction also produces another form of galactose (UDP-galactose) that is used to build galactose-containing proteins and fats. These modified proteins and fats play critical roles in chemical signaling, building cellular structures, transporting molecules, and producing energy.
Related condition topics
MedlinePlus mentions this gene in the condition pages below. These links alone do not show that the gene causes a condition.
ClinGen reviews
We found no matching ClinGen review in the data used here. This does not rule out a link between the gene and a condition.
ClinVar records
These numbers show what has been submitted to ClinVar. They cannot tell you how likely you are to have a condition.
- Submitted alleles
- 1,084
- Submissions for variants in or overlapping this gene
- 2,331
- Submissions explicitly reporting this gene
- 2,233
- Alleles reported pathogenic / likely pathogenic
- 344
- VariationIDs with uncertain significance
- 260
- VariationIDs with conflicting classifications
- 85
The rows count different things: alleles, submissions or VariationIDs. Their categories can overlap, so do not add them together. Pathogenic/likely pathogenic counts exclude structural variants that merely overlap a gene. A dash in the source means “not reported,” not zero.
NCBI produces the gene-summary file each week using counts recorded at the start of the month. The numbers may differ from those on the live ClinVar website. Read the field definitions ↗
YOUR DNA FILE
Can your DNA file tell you about GALT?
From a DNA test kit (such as 23andMe, AncestryDNA or MyHeritage). These kits check a fixed list of about 600,000 to 700,000 positions across your whole genome. ClinVar lists 344 alleles in GALT reported as pathogenic or likely pathogenic. A kit checks only some of these positions, and often none of them.
From whole genome sequencing (a VCF file). Sequencing reads most of your genome. Your file lists the places where your DNA differs from the reference genome. Some regions are hard to sequence, including parts of some genes that have near-identical copies elsewhere, and a VCF file does not record which positions were read well.
If a variant is not in your file, that does not mean you don’t have it.
What BioDecode checks
BioDecode compares every variant in your file with ClinVar, on your own computer. For each match, it shows the ClinVar classification, the review status and the condition it was reported for. Your file is not uploaded.
A ClinVar classification applies to one particular variant and the condition it was reported for. It does not tell you about other variants in GALT.
BioDecode cannot fill gaps in your test, diagnose a condition or replace clinical testing.
Sources and dates
The source information on this page last changed on 2026-10-31.
HGNC Source details
Source release: Fri, 30 Oct 2026 14:04:30 GMT
Source record updated: 2026-10-22
SHA-256: f820c1457459821a6319541b4f2c407ad7c8423cd854b5bd00915d86baec4fb1
MedlinePlus Source details
Source release: Sat, 31 Oct 2026 05:16:00 GMT
Source publication: 2020-08-18
Source review: 2008-01
SHA-256: fdc8bd614310c12718379cef6569962e5d0e791cecabcc355b53a72816ac263a
ClinVar Source details
Source release: Sun, 25 Oct 2026 02:34:50 GMT
SHA-256: 7c4667b67e9e2e34ae6b73f11a35f4952bd416d5eb4f342636808a6d78e88bef
About the library sources · Latest validated release · Record 9b05e0aaf4e2