ANDROGEN AND ESTROGEN SULFOTRANSFERASES OF THE RAT-LIVER - PHYSIOLOGICAL-FUNCTION, MOLECULAR-CLONING, AND IN-VITRO EXPRESSION

Cloning of the androgen and estrogen sulfotransferases has allowed stu dies on their spatiotemporal regulation and physiological function. Th ese two enzymes appear to be involved in regulating target cell sensit ivity for the androgenic and estrogenic steroids. Recombinant androgen sulfotransferase produced in insect Sf9 cells through a baculoviral e xpression vector is capable of transferring the sulfate from PAPS (pho sphoadenosine phosphosulfate) to 3 alpha, 3 beta, 17 alpha, and 17 bet a hydroxyl groups of a number of steroid substrates indicating a broad range of substrate specificity.