What Is Sulfotransferase (SULT)?

SULT is a class of proteins that are highly conserved in plants, animals, and microorganisms. It catalyzes the transfer of the sulfonic acid group (SO_3^-) of the universal donor 3′-phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphosulfate to a hydroxyl- or amino-containing substrate, and generating adenosine 3′,5′-diphosphate. SULT catalyzes the sulfonation of a range of compounds to produce sulfate esters, amino acid esters, and sulfate binders. According to the different forms of SULT in cells, SULT can be classified into cytosolic SULT and membrane-associated SULT. Cytosolic SULT mainly catalyzes the sulfonation of small endogenous and exogenous compounds, such as steroids, flavonoids, thioglucosides, hormones, biogenic amines, drugs, etc. Membrane-associated SULT primarily sulfonates macromolecular compounds such as complex carbohydrates, peptides, and proteins.

SULT Engineering Services at CD BioGlyco

CD BioGlyco has ultra-efficient technologies for gene editing. We also perform downstream functional validation, phenotyping, and other experiments upon request. Several SULTs have been identified and characterized in bacteria, algae, higher plants, animals, and humans. Our SULT gene editing service focuses on SULTs of human origin and plant SULTs.

Fig.1 Gene editing process. (CD BioGlyco)

• SULT Gene Editing Service of Human Origin
  SULT in humans is responsible for the detoxification of exogenous and endogenous toxic small molecules. It is also involved in steroid hormone biosynthesis and hormone-mediated signal transduction processes. Studies have shown that SULT is involved in the pathogenesis of cancer, fatty liver, and atherosclerosis. Our research interests in SULT include SULT-mediated drug toxicity and detoxification, activation of procarcinogens, and SULT regulation.
  The distribution of SULTs mediating the metabolism of different kinds of substances is different in vivo. SULTs play a crucial role in the metabolism of many drugs, procarcinogens, and endogenous compounds, which inevitably affect drug metabolism and therapeutic efficacy. According to the customer's request, we analyze the correlation between SULT and disease, its function in drug metabolism, etc., by up-regulating and inhibiting the expression of SULT genes.
• Plant SULT Gene Editing Service
  SULT catalyzes the sulfonation of sterols, organic acids, flavonoids, and other compounds. It plays an important role in regulating the physiological processes of plant growth, development, and adaptation to the environment. Different SULTs catalyze a variety of substrates with different structures, including flavonoids, brassinosteroids, hydroxyjasmonic acid, salicin, casein, etc. Different SULTs also differ in substrate specificity and regioselectivity.
  We use the identified plant SULT genes combined with metabolic engineering to realize the in vitro high production of novel substances with higher application value. Based on genomic, metabolomic techniques, etc., we will also compare the differences in metabolites in plants under SULT gene modification. This approach will enable us to search for substrates and products of SULT. Eventually, we will identify the function of SULT or generate SULT with the specific function.

Published Data

Paper Title: Suppression of indoxyl sulfate accumulation reduces renal fibrosis in sulfotransferase 1a1-deficient mice

Technology: Gene Knockout

Journal: International Journal of Molecular Sciences

IF: 5.6

Published: 2023

Results: A Sult1a1-deficient (Sult1a1-KO) mouse unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model was constructed to investigate the pathological effects of IS on renal fibrosis and its potential mechanisms. The results showed that renal fibrosis markers, fibronectin, and col1a1, were suppressed in the Sult1a1-KO UUO group. TNF-α and IL-1β gene expression was also reduced. Meanwhile, serum and renal IS concentrations were also relatively low. The study shows that UUO-induced inflammatory response and renal fibrosis were alleviated with the reduction of serum and renal IS accumulation.

Fig.2 Effect of Sult1a1-KO on inflammation, renal fibrosis. (Hou, et al., 2023)

Applications

• Overexpression of SULT enhances its enzymatic activity, which has far-reaching implications for medically valuable compound production and related drug development.
• The function of the SULT gene in some plants and animals is not been studied. The technologies for SULT gene editing are used to characterize its function in organisms.
• SULT catalyzes sulphation reactions in the human body and is considered a detoxifying enzyme. The technologies for gene editing of SULT are used to study its function in drug metabolism.

Advantages

• Our technologies for SULT gene editing are designed to provide some help in drug discovery and clinical trials.
• Our wide range of screening tags facilitates various types of experiments.
• Our Knockdown efficiency and transformation efficiency are high. Large segment knockouts are rapidly identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

CD BioGlyco integrates R&D, services, and products, and is committed to providing better and more comprehensive Gene Editing Services to our global partners. We utilize technologies for Transcription Activator-like Effectors Nuclease (TALEN) and CRISPR/Cas9 to activate, inhibit, or silence gene expression. contact us to learn more about the full range of solutions offered by CD BioGlyco.

Reference:

1. Hou, H.; et al. Suppression of indoxyl sulfate accumulation reduces renal fibrosis in sulfotransferase 1a1-deficient mice. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2023, 24(14): 11329.