PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Takuyu Hashiguchi
AU  - Sawako Shindo
AU  - Shih-Heng Chen
AU  - Jau-Shyong Hong
AU  - Masahiko Negishi
TI  - Sulfotransferase 4A1 (SULT4A1) increases its expression in mouse neurons as they mature
AID  - 10.1124/dmd.118.080838
DP  - 2018 Jan 01
TA  - Drug Metabolism and Disposition
PG  - dmd.118.080838
4099  - http://dmd.aspetjournals.org/content/early/2018/04/06/dmd.118.080838.short
4100  - http://dmd.aspetjournals.org/content/early/2018/04/06/dmd.118.080838.full
AB  - Cytosolic sulfotransferases (SULTs) catalyze sulfation and play essential roles in detoxification of xenobiotics as well as inactivation of endo-biotics. Sulfotransferase 4A1 (SULT4A1) which was originally isolated as a brain-specific sulfotransferase, is the most highly conserved isoform among SULTs in vertebrates. Here, expression of SULT4A1 was examined neuron enriched and neuron-glia mixed cells derived from mouse embryo brains at day 14 gestation and mixed glia from 2 days-old neonate brains. Western blots showed an increase of SULT4A1 expression as neurons maturated. RT-PCR and agarose gel analysis found two different forms (variant and wild type) of SULT4A1 mRNA in neurons; the level of wild type correlates with the protein level of SULT4A1. SULT1E1 was expressed neither in mouse brains, neuron enriched cells nor mixed glia cells. SULT1A1 protein was only detected in adult brains. Immunofluorescence staining of neuron-glia mixed cells confirmed selective expression of SULT4A1 in neurons including dopaminergic neurons, but not in either astrocytes or microglia. Thus, SULT4A1 is a neuron-specific sulfotransferase and may play a role in neuronal development.