The properties of certain glycosyltransferase variants having N-terminal truncation deletions or internal deletions are disclosed. Particularly, mutants that exhibit α-2,6-sialyltransferase enzymatic activity in the presence of CMP-activated sialic acid as co-substrate, and in the presence of a suitable acceptor site, are disclosed. A fundamental finding documented in the present disclosure is that enzymes are not only capable of catalyzing transfer of a sialidyl moiety but they are also capable of catalyzing hydrolytic cleavage of terminally bound sialic acid from a glycan.