Diversity and functions of glycosaminoglycan sulfotransferases

Sulfate residues attached to the specific position of the component sugar residues of glycosaminoglycans play important roles in the formation of functional domain structures. The introduction of a sulfate group is catalyzed by various sulfotransferases with strict substrate specificities. A rapid development achieved in the cloning of various glycosaminoglycan sulfotransferases has allowed us to study the biological functions of glycosaminoglycan sulfotransferases and their products, sulfated glycosaminoglycans. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.