Steroidsulfatase in the Liver of Charonia lampas

Abstract

1. The liver of a Marine gastropod, Charonia lampas contains a highly active steroidsulfatase hydrolyzing dehydroepiandro-sterone sulfate. The optimum pH of 5.1-5.5 was obtained.
2. Scymnol sulfate was not hydrolyzed by the enzyme preparation.
Authors wish to thank Dr. L. F. Fieser and Dr. K. S. Dodgson, who kindly supplied us scymnol sulfate and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, respective-ly. A part of the expence of this study was defrayed by a grant from the Ministry of Education and from Seikagaku-kenkyusho Ltd., to which their thanks are due. Some of the experiments were carried out in the Marine Biological Station of Nagoya University.