. "PAPS (3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate), which functions as a sulfate donor in the cell, is synthesized from sulfate and two molecules of ATP in a two-step process (Robbins and Lipmann 1958) catalyzed in vertebrates (including humans - Venkatachalam et al. 1998) by a bifunctional enzyme. PAPS synthesis takes place in the cytosol, and it is either consumed there in the sulfonation of a variety of hormones and xenobiotics, or it is transported to the Golgi apparatus and consumed in the synthesis of proteoglycans like chondroitin sulfate. Two isoforms of the human bifunctional enzyme are known, mutations in one of which are associated with defects in proteoglycan biosynthesis (Girard et al. 1998; ul Haque et al. 1998)."^^ . . . . . . . . . . "Formation of PAPS"^^ . "Activation of sulfate"^^ . . . . . .