Biomaterial Database

Testicular steroid sulfotransferases: comparison to liver and adrenal steroid sulfotransferases of the mature rat. 1980

A H Payne

Steroid sulfotransferase activity was investigated in cytosol fractions of whole testes, isolated seminiferous tubules, isolated interstitial tissue, livers, and adrenal glands of mature male rats. Enzyme activity was measured by incubating cytosol fractions with 3H-labeled pregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone, or estradiol and the active sulfate donor 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate. Testicular steroid sulfotransferase activity was found in seminiferous tubules. 3 beta-Hydroxysteroid sulfotransferase activity of seminiferous tubules exhibited a pH optimum of 10 in contrast to a pH optimum of 5 reported for cytosol fractions of rat liver. Marked differences in substrate specificity were demonstrated in the three tissues. The preferred substrate for the 3 beta-hydroxysteroid sulfotransferase in seminiferous tubules was pregnenolone, and in liver it was dehydroepiandrosterone, No 3 beta-hydroxysteroid sulfotransferase activity could be detected in cytosol fractions of adrenal glands. Testosterone was sulfated only by hepatic cytosol fractions. All three tissues contained estrogen sulfotransferase activity. These data suggest that the 3 beta-hydroxysteroid sulfotransferase of seminiferous tubules is distinct from the 3 beta-hydroxysteroid sulfotransferase of liver. These differences may relate to different functions of steroid sulfates in liver and testes.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007700	Kinetics	The rate dynamics in chemical or physical systems.
D008099	Liver	A large lobed glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrates that is responsible for detoxification, metabolism, synthesis and storage of various substances.	Livers
D008297	Male		Males
D009928	Organ Specificity	Characteristic restricted to a particular organ of the body, such as a cell type, metabolic response or expression of a particular protein or antigen.	Tissue Specificity,Organ Specificities,Specificities, Organ,Specificities, Tissue,Specificity, Organ,Specificity, Tissue,Tissue Specificities
D003600	Cytosol	Intracellular fluid from the cytoplasm after removal of ORGANELLES and other insoluble cytoplasmic components.	Cytosols
D000311	Adrenal Glands	A pair of glands located at the cranial pole of each of the two KIDNEYS. Each adrenal gland is composed of two distinct endocrine tissues with separate embryonic origins, the ADRENAL CORTEX producing STEROIDS and the ADRENAL MEDULLA producing NEUROTRANSMITTERS.	Adrenal Gland,Gland, Adrenal,Glands, Adrenal
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013256	Steroids	A group of polycyclic compounds closely related biochemically to TERPENES. They include cholesterol, numerous hormones, precursors of certain vitamins, bile acids, alcohols (STEROLS), and certain natural drugs and poisons. Steroids have a common nucleus, a fused, reduced 17-carbon atom ring system, cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene. Most steroids also have two methyl groups and an aliphatic side-chain attached to the nucleus. (From Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, 11th ed)	Steroid,Catatoxic Steroids,Steroids, Catatoxic
D013379	Substrate Specificity	A characteristic feature of enzyme activity in relation to the kind of substrate on which the enzyme or catalytic molecule reacts.	Specificities, Substrate,Specificity, Substrate,Substrate Specificities
D013466	Sulfurtransferases	Enzymes which transfer sulfur atoms to various acceptor molecules. EC 2.8.1.	Sulfurtransferase