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 substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecule ...
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 b ...
.
enzymes catalyze the sulfate conjugation of many
hormones,
neurotransmitters, drugs, and
xenobiotic 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
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Steroid sulfotransferase
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Steroidogenic enzyme
References
Further reading
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