CHARACTERIZATION AND EXPRESSION OF HEPATIC SULFOTRANSFERASE INVOLVED IN THE METABOLISM OF N-SUBSTITUTED ARYL COMPOUNDS

An aryl sulfotransferase, whose cDNA was isolated from the rat liver l ibrary, was found to catalyze bioactivation of minoxidil through N-O-s ulfation and N-sulfation of a carcinogenic heterocyclic amine, IQ, by expression in COS-1 cells. cDNA of a human ortholog also was isolated and characterized as a major minoxidil-activating enzyme in human live r. Another group of aryl sulfotransferases catalyzing O-sulfation of c arcinogenic N-hydroxyarylamines was separated from livers of rats and humans. These sulfotransferases have been shown to possess similar fun ctional properties and also to relate immunochemically with each other . Current understanding on the primary structure of these sulfotransfe rases also is discussed.