Members of this family are alpha-1,2-mannosidases, enzymes which remove alpha-1,2-linked mannose residues from Man(9)(GlcNAc)(2) by hydrolysis. They are critical for the maturation of N-linked oligosaccharides and ER-associated degradation [1].

1: Oligosaccharide modification in the early secretory pathway directs the selection of a misfolded glycoprotein for degradation by the proteasome. Liu Y, Choudhury P, Cabral CM, Sifers RN; J Biol Chem 1999;274:5861-5867. PMID:10026209

2: GH97 is a new family of glycoside hydrolases, which is related to the alpha-galactosidase superfamily. Naumoff DG; BMC Genomics. 2005;6:112. PMID:16131397