Enzymatic synthesis of steroid sulfates.

De Meio and Lewycka (1) have obtained indirect evidence that conjugation of dehydroisoandrosterone with sulfuric acid occurs in a system consisting of microsome-free supernatant fluid of rat liver, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and magnesium and sulfate ions. They showed that, following incubation, some of the Zimmermann-positive material remains in the aqueous phase after ether extraction at pH 7, but is recovered by subsequent extraction with n-butanol. We wish to present more direct evidence that a number of steroids are conjugated with sulfuric acid in such a system while others are not.