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| Identifiers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Sulfatase | ||||||||
| Pfam | PF00884 | ||||||||
| InterPro | IPR000917 | ||||||||
| PROSITE | PDOC00117 | ||||||||
| SCOP2 | 1auk / SCOPe / SUPFAM | ||||||||
| OPM superfamily | 24 | ||||||||
| OPM protein | 1p49 | ||||||||
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In biochemistry, sulfatases EC 3.1.6.- are a class of enzymes of the esterase class that catalyze the hydrolysis of sulfate esters into an alcohol and a bisulfate:
![{\displaystyle {\ce {R-OSO3 + H2O}}\quad {\xrightarrow[{\text{sulfatase}}]{}}\quad {\ce {R-OH + HSO4-}}}](https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/media/math/render/svg/6b5813afc55e432ad2f00293a11ea70be2b51a0b)
These may be found on a range of substrates, including steroids, carbohydrates and proteins. Sulfate esters may be formed from various alcohols and amines. In the latter case the resultant N-sulfates can also be termed sulfamates.
Sulfatases play important roles in the cycling of sulfur in the environment, in the degradation of sulfated glycosaminoglycans and glycolipids in the lysosome, and in remodelling sulfated glycosaminoglycans in the extracellular space. Together with sulfotransferases, sulfatases form the major catalytic machinery for the synthesis and breakage of sulfate esters.