A hydroxysteroid sulfotransferase, st2b2, is a skin cholesterol sulfotransferase in mice

The mRNA of a sulfotransferase (St2b2) mediating cholesterol sulfation was detected in mouse skin. Recombinant St2b2 also mediated the sulfation of pregnenolone, 3beta-hydroxy-5-cholen-24-oic acid, and dehydroepiandrosterone. St2b2 protein was detected in skin cytosols on Western blotting. The addition of 10 nM TPA to skin epidermal cells from newborn mice resulted in a twofold increase in cholesterol sulfation and concomitantly enhanced the St2b2 content after 40 h. Other candidate cholesterol sulfotransferases, St2a4 and St2a9, were not detected in skin by RT-PCR. These results indicate that St2b2 is a cholesterol sulfotransferase in mouse skin.