Molecular cloning and initial characterization of three novel human sulfatases

Sulfatases constitute a group of enzymes capable of hydrolyzing the sulphate ester bond of a variety of biological compounds. To date, thirteen members of this family have been cloned and characterized as part of the human genome. In this work, the identification, molecular cloning and initial characterization of three new members of this human gene family is reported. Two map in chromosome 5 (5q15 and 5q32), whereas the third one maps in chromosome 4 (4q26). Two of them are closely related and are coded in only two exons, what is a unique genomic feature among the known sulfatases. The three new members were cloned from different DNA sources, and the predicted protein sizes range from 536 aa to 596 aa. Interestingly, initial characterization of two of them showed that their expression pattern was mainly restricted to embryonic tissues and some cancer cell lines.