Sulfotransferase 1A1 is an

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. A ...

that in humans is encoded by the ''SULT1A1''

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...

Sulfotransferase Sulfotransferases (SULTs) are transferase enzymes that catalyze the transfer of a sulfo group from a donor molecule to an acceptor alcohol or amine. The most common sulfo group donor is 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS). In the case o ...

enzymes catalyze the sulfate conjugation of many

hormones A hormone (from the Ancient Greek, Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of cell signaling, signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and beh ...

neurotransmitters A neurotransmitter is a signaling molecule secreted by a neuron to affect another cell across a synapse. The cell receiving the signal, any main body part or target cell, may be another neuron, but could also be a gland or muscle cell. Neur ...

, drugs, and

xenobiotic A xenobiotic is a chemical substance found within an organism that is not naturally produced or expected to be present within the organism. It can also cover substances that are present in much higher concentrations than are usual. Natural compo ...

compounds. These cytosolic enzymes are different in their tissue distributions and substrate specificities. The gene structure (number and length of exons) is similar among family members. This gene encodes one of two phenol sulfotransferases with thermostable enzyme activity. Multiple alternatively spliced variants that encode two isoforms have been identified for this gene. The SULT1A1 enzyme is expressed in outer roots sheath of hair follicles. Minoxidil, the only US FDA approved topical drug for re-growing hair in male and female pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia patients) is a pro-drug. Minoxidil is converted to its active form (minoxidil sulfate) by the hair sulfotransferase enzyme (SULT1A1). A large variability in sulfotransferase enzyme expression in hair is observed among people. Low sulfotransferase activity was found to be predictive to lack of response to topical minoxidil for hair re-growth. In a clinical study, a novel formula using a hypoxia mimetic pathway demonstrated to increase SULT1A1 activity in human subjects in-vivo.

See also

References

Further reading