The DXD motif is a short conserved motif found in many families of glycosyltransferases, which add a range of different sugars to other sugars, phosphates and proteins. DXD-containing glycosyltransferases all use nucleoside diphosphate sugars as donors and require divalent cations, usually manganese. The DXD motif is expected to play a carbohydrate binding role in sugar-nucleoside diphosphate and manganese dependent glycosyltransferases [1].

1: Activity of the yeast MNN1 alpha-1,3-mannosyltransferase requires a motif conserved in many other families of glycosyltransferases. Wiggins CA, Munro S; Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1998;95:7945-7950. PMID:9653120