Solute carrier family 35 member B2 (SLC35B2)

Solute carrier family 35 member B2 (SLC35B2) is a transporter protein located in the Golgi and endoplasmic reticulum membranes that mediates the import of 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS), the universal sulfuryl donor, from the cytosol into the Golgi lumen. This process is essential for the sulfation of glycans, glycoproteins, and glycolipids—a key modification affecting protein and extracellular matrix function. Loss-of-function mutations in SLC35B2 cause inherited disorders of sulfation such as hypomyelinating leukodystrophy and skeletal dysplasia. SLC35B2 is also required for the correct sulfation of cell-surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans, which regulate cellular recognition, viral entry, and growth factor signaling. There are no approved drugs directly targeting SLC35B2, and broad inhibition raises safety concerns due to the global impact on sulfation pathways.

Other names

Adenosine 3'-phospho 5'-phosphosulfate transporter 1PAPST1PSEC0149UGTrel4PAPS transporter 1Putative MAPK-activating protein PM15Putative NF-kappa-B-activating protein 48SLLHLD26

Inhibition or loss-of-function would reduce cellular sulfation by impairing PAPS transport into the Golgi, affecting the synthesis of sulfated proteins and glycosaminoglycans.