Sulfotransferase Family 2A, Member 1 (SULT2A1)

SULT2A1 encodes a member of the sulfotransferase family. Sulfotransferases aid in the metabolism of drugs and endogenous compounds by converting these substances into more hydrophilic water-soluble sulfate conjugates that can be easily excreted. This protein catalyzes the sulfation of steroids and bile acids in the liver and adrenal glands, and may have a role in the inherited adrenal androgen excess in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. This gene has an important role in the sulfation of both bile acids and steroids in the liver and adrenals. The human adrenal form of this enzyme is physically, immunologically, and kinetically similar, perhaps identical, to the liver form. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate is quantitatively one of the major steroids secreted from the adrenal cortex.