Steroid Sulfotransferases

Structure and Function of Sulfotransferases

“…The sulfated products can be removed from cells or can be stored for possible reactivation by sulfatases (10). Dehydroxyepiandosterone sulfate is the major source of estrogen in pregnant women, while estradiol sulfate is a risk factor for hormone-dependent tumors such as breast cancer in women after menopause (11).…”

Biochemical and Molecular Characterization of a Hydroxyjasmonate Sulfotransferase from Arabidopsis thaliana

“…Furthermore, it is the only report of the occurrence of a jasmonate conjugated with a sulfonate group. In mammals, it is well recognized that the sulfonation reaction plays an important role in the modulation of the biological activity of a number of compounds, such as steroids and thyroid hormones, and catecholamine neurotransmitters (15)(16)(17)(18). Sulfonate conjugation not only facilitates transport and excretion of hydrophobic molecules by increasing their water solubility, it abolishes the biological activity of hormones such as estrogens.…”

Identifying Androsterone (ADT) as a Cognate Substrate for Human Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfotransferase (DHEA-ST) Important for Steroid Homeostasis

“…Sulfonation is catalyzed by a family of sulfotransferases that conjugate a sulfonate group (SO 3 ) from 3Ј-phosphoadenosine-5Ј-phosphosulfate (PAPS) 1 to a hydroxyl group of the recipient molecule. With desulfation by sulfatases, sulfonation has been considered as one of the major enzymatic reactions in the metabolism not only of endogenous compounds and xenobiotics, but also of steroid hormones.…”

“…Indeed, steroid sulfates resulting from this reaction are not capable of binding to or activating steroid receptors. In addition, the sulfonation reaction increases water solubility of steroids and thereby enhances their excretion into the urine and/or bile (1,2).…”