Abstract

A human liver microsomal UDP glucuronosyltransferase (UDPGT) that demonstrates reactivity with estriol (pI 7.4 UDPGT) has been purified to homogeneity and characterized further. No activity toward morphine, 4-hydroxybiphenyl, bilirubin, or tripelennamine was observed. The estriol UDPGT shows immunoreactivity with antibodies raised against rat hepatic microsomal 3 alpha- and 17 beta-hydroxysteroid UDPGTs but not with antibodies raised against rat hepatic microsomal p-nitrophenol UDPGT. The NH2-terminal sequence of the purified protein was determined and found to correspond to an identical sequence in the deduced amino acid sequence of a cDNA obtained from a human liver library in lambda gt11 (HLUG4). Sequence analysis revealed that HLUG4 is 2094 bp in length and encodes a protein of 523 amino acids which has a 16 amino acid leader sequence, followed by an untranslated 3' region of 525 bp. Three potential N-glycosylation sites were identified in the predicted sequence. The deduced amino acid sequence of estriol UDPGT showed 82% identity with the deduced amino acid sequence of another human hepatic cDNA (HLUG25), which has been expressed as a UDPGT capable of 6 alpha-hydroxyglucuronidation of hyodeoxycholic acid, strongly suggesting that these proteins are members of the same gene subfamily.