Microbial Sulfatases

Abstract

The capacity for cleaving off modifying sulfated molecules is related to the presence of sulfatase enzymes in all organisms. Sulfatases (EC 3.1.6.) remove sulfate groups from a set of diverse molecules and constitute a quite heterogeneous group of enzymes characterized by diverse catalytic mechanisms. Human sulfatases are characterized in most detail due to their important role in certain physiological processes. Microbial sulfatases remain virtually uncharacterized on the biochemical level and their potential remains unexplored. The present review summarizes the results of research on sulfatases from bacteria and lower eukaryotes, addresses the connection between these results and the established regularities in the current classification of sulfatases, and considers the potential applications for the use of sulfatases.