The protein encoded by this gene, glutathione S-transferase (GST) theta 1 (GSTT1), is a member of a superfamily of proteins that catalyze the conjugation of reduced glutathione to a variety of electrophilic and hydrophobic compounds. Human GSTs can be divided into five main classes: alpha, mu, pi, theta, and zeta. The theta class includes GSTT1, GSTT2, and GSTT2B. GSTT1 and GSTT2/GSTT2B share 55% amino acid sequence identity and may play a role in human carcinogenesis. The GSTT1 gene is haplotype-specific and is absent from 38% of the population. Alternative splicing of this gene results in multiple transcript variants. [provided by RefSeq, Sep 2015]