MPST
gene geneOn this page
Also known as MSTTST2TUM1
Summary
MPST (mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase, HGNC:7223) is a protein-coding gene on chromosome 22q12.3, encoding 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (P25325). Transfer of a sulfur ion to cyanide or to other thiol compounds.
This protein encoded by this gene catalyzes the transfer of a sulfur ion from 3-mercaptopyruvate to cyanide or other thiol compounds. It may be involved in cysteine degradation and cyanide detoxification. There is confusion in literature between this protein (mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase, MPST), which appears to be cytoplasmic, and thiosulfate sulfurtransferase (rhodanese, TST, GeneID:7263), which is a mitochondrial protein. Deficiency in MPST activity has been implicated in a rare inheritable disorder known as mercaptolactate-cysteine disulfiduria (MCDU). Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding same or different isoforms have been identified for this gene.
Source: NCBI Gene 4357 — RefSeq curated summary.
At a glance
- Gene–disease (curated): encephalopathy due to beta-mercaptolactate-cysteine disulfiduria (No Known Disease Relationship, ClinGen)
- GWAS associations: 1
- Clinical variants (ClinVar): 56 total
- GTEx eGene: eQTL in 30 tissues, sQTL in 38 (q < 0.05)
- Constraint (gnomAD): pLI 0.00 (LoF-tolerant), LOEUF 1.50 (unconstrained)
- MANE Select transcript:
NM_021126 - Notable: 56 clinical variants but no curated precision-oncology (CIViC) evidence yet
Identifiers
Gene identifiers
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| HGNC ID | HGNC:7223 |
| Approved symbol | MPST |
| Name | mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase |
| Location | 22q12.3 |
| Locus type | gene with protein product |
| Status | Approved |
| Aliases | MST, TST2, TUM1 |
| Ensembl gene | ENSG00000128309 |
| Ensembl biotype | protein_coding |
| OMIM | 602496 |
| Entrez | 4357 |
Gene structure
Transcript identifiers
Ensembl transcripts: 31 — 21 protein_coding, 9 nonsense_mediated_decay, 1 retained_intron
MANE Select: ENST00000429360
Transcript support level (Ensembl TSL; 1 = fully mRNA-supported): TSL 1: 2, TSL 2: 2, TSL 3: 1, TSL 5: 2
ENST00000429360, ENST00000341116, ENST00000397225, ENST00000401419, ENST00000404393, ENST00000404802, ENST00000485587, ENST00000865000, ENST00000865001, ENST00000865002, ENST00000865003, ENST00000865004, ENST00000935191, ENST00000935192, ENST00000935193, ENST00001004231, ENST00001004232, ENST00001004233, ENST00001004234, ENST00001004235, ENST00001004236, ENST00001004238, ENST00001004239, ENST00001004240, ENST00001004241, ENST00001004244, ENST00001095797, ENST00001118293, ENST00001126534, ENST00001126535, ENST00001132149
RefSeq mRNA: 5 — MANE Select: NM_021126
NM_001013436, NM_001130517, NM_001369904, NM_001369905, NM_021126
CCDS: CCDS13939, CCDS46703
Canonical transcript exons
ENST00000429360 — 3 exons
| Exon | Start | End |
|---|---|---|
| ENSE00001958450 | 37029216 | 37029815 |
| ENSE00003763753 | 37024192 | 37024810 |
| ENSE00003765684 | 37019742 | 37019872 |
Expression profiles
Bgee: expression breadth ubiquitous, 280 present calls, max score 98.92.
FANTOM5 (CAGE): breadth ubiquitous, TPM avg 20.5938 / max 299.4998, expressed in 1779 samples.
Highest expression (Bgee): mucosa of transverse colon, lobe of liver, lower esophagus mucosa, liver, transverse colon.
Genetic regulation across tissues (GTEx eQTL / sQTL)
MPST is an eGene in GTEx v10 — its expression is genetically regulated (eQTL) in 30 tissues and its splicing (sQTL) in 38 (q < 0.05). Strongest associations first; slope = normalized effect of the lead variant’s alternative allele.
showing 20 of 68 significant tissue × QTL associations:
| Tissue | QTL | q-value | Slope | Lead variant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nerve Tibial | sqtl | 6.5e-34 | -1.32 | 22:37023301:T:C |
| Skin Sun Exposed Lower leg | sqtl | 5.5e-28 | -1.13 | 22:37023301:T:C |
| Adipose Subcutaneous | sqtl | 8.3e-27 | -1.15 | 22:37023301:T:C |
| Esophagus Mucosa | sqtl | 4.3e-21 | -1.13 | 22:37023301:T:C |
| Cells Cultured fibroblasts | eqtl | 2.6e-20 | +0.74 | 22:37019732:GC:G |
| Thyroid | eqtl | 1.2e-19 | -0.22 | 22:37021156:T:C |
| Skin Not Sun Exposed Suprapubic | sqtl | 7.7e-19 | -1.05 | 22:37023301:T:C |
| Whole Blood | eqtl | 1.9e-17 | +0.60 | 22:37019732:GC:G |
| Pancreas | sqtl | 4.2e-17 | -1.34 | 22:37023301:T:C |
| Testis | sqtl | 5.8e-17 | -1.59 | 22:37027101:T:C |
| Muscle Skeletal | sqtl | 7.4e-17 | -0.96 | 22:37023301:T:C |
| Esophagus Muscularis | sqtl | 7.6e-17 | -1.08 | 22:37023301:T:C |
| Testis | eqtl | 3.8e-16 | +0.44 | 22:37026349:C:G |
| Colon Transverse | sqtl | 4.4e-16 | -1.03 | 22:37023301:T:C |
| Colon Transverse | eqtl | 1.9e-15 | -0.24 | 22:37018942:G:A |
| Adipose Visceral Omentum | sqtl | 2.9e-15 | -0.97 | 22:37027101:T:C |
| Cells Cultured fibroblasts | sqtl | 3.0e-15 | -1.01 | 22:37023301:T:C |
| Heart Atrial Appendage | sqtl | 3.7e-15 | -1.11 | 22:37023301:T:C |
| Breast Mammary Tissue | sqtl | 7.3e-15 | -1.12 | 22:37023301:T:C |
| Artery Tibial | sqtl | 4.8e-14 | -0.96 | 22:37023301:T:C |
FANTOM5 promoters
showing 10 of 14 alternative TSS:
| Promoter ID | TPM avg | Samples expressed |
|---|---|---|
| 192094 | 11.9340 | 1749 |
| 192095 | 4.6791 | 1451 |
| 192099 | 1.8915 | 958 |
| 192093 | 0.9846 | 699 |
| 192100 | 0.2111 | 85 |
| 192097 | 0.1949 | 23 |
| 192102 | 0.1794 | 61 |
| 192101 | 0.1512 | 49 |
| 192092 | 0.1159 | 31 |
| 192103 | 0.1079 | 20 |
Top tissues by expression
showing 100 of 293 tissues by Bgee expression score (0-100, higher = more expressed):
| Tissue | Anatomy ID | Expression score | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| mucosa of transverse colon | UBERON:0004991 | 98.92 | gold quality |
| right lobe of liver | UBERON:0001114 | 98.71 | gold quality |
| lower esophagus mucosa | UBERON:0035834 | 97.52 | gold quality |
| liver | UBERON:0002107 | 97.03 | gold quality |
| transverse colon | UBERON:0001157 | 96.58 | gold quality |
| body of pancreas | UBERON:0001150 | 96.34 | gold quality |
| ileal mucosa | UBERON:0000331 | 95.81 | gold quality |
| left ovary | UBERON:0002119 | 95.79 | gold quality |
| small intestine Peyer’s patch | UBERON:0003454 | 95.55 | gold quality |
| right ovary | UBERON:0002118 | 95.51 | gold quality |
| duodenum | UBERON:0002114 | 95.40 | gold quality |
| body of stomach | UBERON:0001161 | 95.35 | gold quality |
| mucosa of stomach | UBERON:0001199 | 95.30 | gold quality |
| esophagus mucosa | UBERON:0002469 | 95.04 | gold quality |
| skin of abdomen | UBERON:0001416 | 94.99 | gold quality |
| small intestine | UBERON:0002108 | 94.92 | gold quality |
| gastrocnemius | UBERON:0001388 | 94.89 | gold quality |
| hindlimb stylopod muscle | UBERON:0004252 | 94.89 | gold quality |
| skin of leg | UBERON:0001511 | 94.66 | gold quality |
| right lung | UBERON:0002167 | 94.36 | gold quality |
| right adrenal gland | UBERON:0001233 | 94.32 | gold quality |
| esophagus | UBERON:0001043 | 94.14 | gold quality |
| right adrenal gland cortex | UBERON:0035827 | 94.11 | gold quality |
| olfactory segment of nasal mucosa | UBERON:0005386 | 94.09 | gold quality |
| muscle of leg | UBERON:0001383 | 93.81 | gold quality |
| colon | UBERON:0001155 | 93.75 | gold quality |
| right atrium auricular region | UBERON:0006631 | 93.74 | gold quality |
| lower esophagus | UBERON:0013473 | 93.60 | gold quality |
| lower esophagus muscularis layer | UBERON:0035833 | 93.60 | gold quality |
| large intestine | UBERON:0000059 | 93.57 | gold quality |
| intestine | UBERON:0000160 | 93.56 | gold quality |
| left adrenal gland | UBERON:0001234 | 93.56 | gold quality |
| left adrenal gland cortex | UBERON:0035825 | 93.50 | gold quality |
| esophagogastric junction muscularis propria | UBERON:0035841 | 93.35 | gold quality |
| adrenal cortex | UBERON:0001235 | 93.27 | gold quality |
| omental fat pad | UBERON:0010414 | 93.20 | gold quality |
| zone of skin | UBERON:0000014 | 93.19 | gold quality |
| heart left ventricle | UBERON:0002084 | 93.16 | gold quality |
| peritoneum | UBERON:0002358 | 93.15 | gold quality |
| fundus of stomach | UBERON:0001160 | 93.13 | gold quality |
| stomach | UBERON:0000945 | 93.10 | gold quality |
| adult mammalian kidney | UBERON:0000082 | 92.96 | gold quality |
| adipose tissue of abdominal region | UBERON:0007808 | 92.96 | gold quality |
| cardiac ventricle | UBERON:0002082 | 92.91 | gold quality |
| cardiac atrium | UBERON:0002081 | 92.80 | gold quality |
| muscle layer of sigmoid colon | UBERON:0035805 | 92.67 | gold quality |
| apex of heart | UBERON:0002098 | 92.46 | gold quality |
| sigmoid colon | UBERON:0001159 | 92.36 | gold quality |
| jejunal mucosa | UBERON:0000399 | 92.35 | gold quality |
| muscle organ | UBERON:0001630 | 92.07 | gold quality |
| left coronary artery | UBERON:0001626 | 91.98 | gold quality |
| left testis | UBERON:0004533 | 91.94 | gold quality |
| left uterine tube | UBERON:0001303 | 91.91 | gold quality |
| right testis | UBERON:0004534 | 91.85 | gold quality |
| colonic mucosa | UBERON:0000317 | 91.80 | gold quality |
| coronary artery | UBERON:0001621 | 91.76 | gold quality |
| heart | UBERON:0000948 | 91.75 | gold quality |
| triceps brachii | UBERON:0001509 | 91.71 | gold quality |
| tibial nerve | UBERON:0001323 | 91.67 | gold quality |
| ovary | UBERON:0000992 | 91.64 | gold quality |
| minor salivary gland | UBERON:0001830 | 91.55 | gold quality |
| descending thoracic aorta | UBERON:0002345 | 91.50 | gold quality |
| thoracic aorta | UBERON:0001515 | 91.42 | gold quality |
| ascending aorta | UBERON:0001496 | 91.36 | gold quality |
| saliva-secreting gland | UBERON:0001044 | 91.31 | gold quality |
| mouth mucosa | UBERON:0003729 | 91.31 | gold quality |
| upper lobe of left lung | UBERON:0008952 | 91.28 | gold quality |
| ectocervix | UBERON:0012249 | 91.28 | gold quality |
| ventricular zone | UBERON:0003053 | 91.24 | gold quality |
| aorta | UBERON:0000947 | 91.22 | gold quality |
| vagina | UBERON:0000996 | 91.12 | gold quality |
| popliteal artery | UBERON:0002250 | 91.11 | gold quality |
| tibial artery | UBERON:0007610 | 91.08 | gold quality |
| adrenal gland | UBERON:0002369 | 91.07 | gold quality |
| mucosa of sigmoid colon | UBERON:0004993 | 91.05 | gold quality |
| stromal cell of endometrium | CL:0002255 | 91.03 | gold quality |
| jejunum | UBERON:0002115 | 91.03 | gold quality |
| C1 segment of cervical spinal cord | UBERON:0006469 | 90.89 | gold quality |
| upper lobe of lung | UBERON:0008948 | 90.85 | gold quality |
| embryo | UBERON:0000922 | 90.78 | gold quality |
| adipose tissue | UBERON:0001013 | 90.72 | gold quality |
| pharyngeal mucosa | UBERON:0000355 | 90.66 | gold quality |
| subcutaneous adipose tissue | UBERON:0002190 | 90.65 | gold quality |
| metanephros cortex | UBERON:0010533 | 90.41 | gold quality |
| body of uterus | UBERON:0009853 | 90.28 | gold quality |
| endocervix | UBERON:0000458 | 90.26 | gold quality |
| putamen | UBERON:0001874 | 90.22 | gold quality |
| connective tissue | UBERON:0002384 | 90.18 | gold quality |
| spinal cord | UBERON:0002240 | 89.98 | gold quality |
| nipple | UBERON:0002030 | 89.96 | gold quality |
| ganglionic eminence | UBERON:0004023 | 89.96 | gold quality |
| right coronary artery | UBERON:0001625 | 89.78 | gold quality |
| mammalian vulva | UBERON:0000997 | 89.66 | gold quality |
| skeletal muscle tissue of rectus abdominis | UBERON:0004511 | 89.62 | gold quality |
| body of tongue | UBERON:0011876 | 89.48 | gold quality |
| testis | UBERON:0000473 | 89.12 | gold quality |
| skeletal muscle tissue | UBERON:0001134 | 89.12 | gold quality |
| monocyte | CL:0000576 | 89.09 | gold quality |
| mononuclear cell | CL:0000842 | 88.87 | gold quality |
| gluteal muscle | UBERON:0002000 | 88.69 | silver quality |
Single-cell (SCXA)
Detected in 6 experiment(s), a significant marker in 5.
| Experiment | Marker? | Max mean expression |
|---|---|---|
| E-MTAB-7008 | yes | 1366.32 |
| E-HCAD-4 | yes | 144.94 |
| E-HCAD-6 | yes | 57.04 |
| E-MTAB-8410 | yes | 15.03 |
| E-ENAD-27 | no | 4.32 |
| E-ANND-3 | no | 0.00 |
HPA expression
RNA tissue specificity: Tissue enhanced
showing 60 of 78 HPA tissues / cells by nTPM:
| Tissue / cell | Axis | nTPM | Protein (IHC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liver | tissue | 116.2 | medium |
| Duodenum | tissue | 100.2 | high |
| Small intestine | tissue | 87.7 | high |
| Vagina | tissue | 58.8 | low |
| Pancreas | tissue | 56.0 | medium |
| Colon | tissue | 54.4 | medium |
| Choroid plexus | tissue | 45.4 | |
| Frontal cortex | tissue | 39.4 | |
| Salivary gland | tissue | 37.2 | low |
| Stomach 1 | tissue | 35.9 | medium |
| Skeletal muscle | tissue | 35.2 | not detected |
| Ovary | tissue | 34.4 | medium |
| Bone marrow | tissue | 34.4 | low |
| Caudate putamen | tissue | 32.2 | |
| Hippocampus | tissue | 30.3 | low |
| Nucleus accumbens | tissue | 29.0 | |
| Locus coeruleus | tissue | 28.7 | |
| Adipose tissue | tissue | 25.6 | medium |
| Kidney | tissue | 23.3 | medium |
| Tongue | tissue | 21.5 | |
| Esophagus | tissue | 21.3 | not detected |
| Skin 1 | tissue | 20.0 | medium |
| Adrenal gland | tissue | 19.1 | medium |
| Heart muscle | tissue | 18.1 | not detected |
| Cervix | tissue | 17.7 | medium |
| Postcentral gyrus | tissue | 16.6 | |
| Rectum | tissue | 16.0 | medium |
| Gallbladder | tissue | 15.5 | medium |
| Lung | tissue | 15.3 | medium |
| Pituitary gland | tissue | 14.1 | |
| Prostate | tissue | 13.8 | medium |
| Testis | tissue | 12.3 | medium |
| Fallopian tube | tissue | 11.5 | medium |
| Endometrium 1 | tissue | 10.3 | medium |
| Urinary bladder | tissue | 9.9 | medium |
| Appendix | tissue | 9.5 | medium |
| Seminal vesicle | tissue | 9.1 | medium |
| Placenta | tissue | 8.5 | medium |
| Lymph node | tissue | 8.3 | low |
| Corpus callosum | tissue | 7.9 | |
| Spleen | tissue | 7.8 | not detected |
| Spinal cord | tissue | 7.7 | |
| Putamen | tissue | 7.6 | |
| Breast | tissue | 7.5 | medium |
| Periaqueductal gray | tissue | 7.0 | |
| Medulla oblongata | tissue | 6.7 | |
| Substantia nigra | tissue | 6.6 | |
| Smooth muscle | tissue | 6.5 | not detected |
| Thyroid gland | tissue | 6.3 | medium |
| Hypothalamus | tissue | 6.2 | |
| Midbrain | tissue | 5.8 | |
| Pons | tissue | 5.7 | |
| Tonsil | tissue | 5.7 | medium |
| Thalamus | tissue | 5.5 | |
| Hippocampal formation | tissue | 5.3 | |
| Superior colliculi | tissue | 5.2 | |
| Septum | tissue | 5.0 | |
| Amygdala | tissue | 4.9 | |
| Olfactory bulb | tissue | 4.9 | |
| Basal ganglia | tissue | 4.8 | medium |
Brain sub-regions (HPA Brain Atlas): detected in 192; highest nTPM — Temporal white matter (54.5), Nucleus ambiguus (53.1), Parieto-temporal junction (white matter) (50.5), Globus pallidus, externus (49.0), Area striata (white matter) (48.8).
Regulation
Is transcription factor: no
Upstream regulators (CollecTRI, top): E2F1
Functional genomics
gnomAD constraint: pLI 2.4e-09, LOEUF 1.5, missense Z -1.31 — population loss-of-function intolerance (pLI ≥ 0.9 = LoF-intolerant; lower LOEUF = more constrained). gnomAD
Regional missense constraint (gnomAD RMC): no regional variation along ENST00000429360 — one region, missense o/e 1.04.
Literature-anchored findings (GeneRIF, showing 14)
- This work is the first report of a functional genetic polymorphism affecting MPST and should help in investigation of disorders such as mercaptolactate-cysteine disulfiduria. (PMID:16545926)
- Data suggest that impaired rhodanese expression is associated with increased whole cell reactive oxygen species as well as higher mitochondrial superoxide production and predicts mortality in hemodialysis patients. (PMID:19695240)
- In all the investigated cell lines, the activity of MPST was higher than that of CST, which suggests that in these cells, the main pathway of sulfane sulfur formation is the MPST-catalyzed reaction. (PMID:20446008)
- The crystal structure analysis allows us to propose a detailed mechanism for MST in which an Asp-His-Ser catalytic triad is positioned to activate the nucleophilic cysteine residue and participate in general acid-base chemistry (PMID:23698001)
- distinct roles of each TUM1 isoform in the sulfur transfer processes in the cell (PMID:25336638)
- In this review, we discuss the roles of non-canonical Hippo/Mst signaling pathways in lymphocyte development and functions. [review] (PMID:25487919)
- 3-Mercaptopyruvate sulphurtransferase and not cystathionine gamma-lyase is the primary regulator of coronary artery hydrogen sulfide production and function. (PMID:26519030)
- 3-Mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase supports endothelial cell angiogenesis and bioenergetics. (PMID:30644090)
- MPST inactivation or silencing enhances the plasticity of dermal fibroblasts in a TET1 and glycolysis dependent manner and promotes adipogenic transdifferentiation. (PMID:31634482)
- Thioredoxin regulates human mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase at physiologically-relevant concentrations. (PMID:32179647)
- 3-Mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase represses tumour progression and predicts prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma. (PMID:35243746)
- MPST deficiency promotes intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis and aggravates inflammatory bowel disease via AKT. (PMID:36126419)
- 3-Mercaptopyruvate sulfur transferase is a protein persulfidase. (PMID:36732619)
- Role of the 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase in colon/colorectal cancers. (PMID:38631098)
Cross-species orthologs
9 orthologs
| Organism | Symbol | Gene ID |
|---|---|---|
| mus_musculus | Mpst | ENSMUSG00000071711 |
| rattus_norvegicus | Mpst | ENSRNOG00000000185 |
| caenorhabditis_elegans | WBGENE00008409 | |
| caenorhabditis_elegans | WBGENE00010380 | |
| caenorhabditis_elegans | WBGENE00010383 | |
| caenorhabditis_elegans | WBGENE00011307 | |
| caenorhabditis_elegans | WBGENE00017387 | |
| caenorhabditis_elegans | WBGENE00022006 | |
| caenorhabditis_elegans | WBGENE00022007 |
Paralogs (1): TST (ENSG00000128311)
Mouse-model phenotypes
Observed phenotypes of the mouse ortholog (MGI:2179733) from MGI (Alliance of Genome Resources) — knockout/mutant phenotypes, ranked by annotation count. 8 distinct phenotype terms.
| Mouse phenotype (MP) | Records |
|---|---|
| decreased exploration in new environment | 2 |
| increased Leydig cell number | 1 |
| increased anxiety-related response | 1 |
| reduced male fertility | 1 |
| male infertility | 1 |
| testis hypoplasia | 1 |
| abnormal spermatocyte morphology | 1 |
| increased serotonin level | 1 |
Additional cross-species homologs
Sequence homologs in species beyond Ensembl Compara’s model organisms, by Diamond local protein alignment (% sequence identity; best hit per species). Lower-identity rows are more distant homologs. The matched accessions’ gene symbols aren’t in biobtree yet, so each row shows the UniProt accession.
| Organism | UniProt | Identity | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escherichia coli K-12 | P31142 | 99.6% | Diamond |
| Escherichia coli O157:H7 | P58388 | 99.6% | Diamond |
| Cricetulus griseus | P46635 | 95.6% | Diamond |
| Bos taurus | P00586 | 91.9% | Diamond |
| Arabidopsis thaliana | O64530 | 78.5% | Diamond |
| Gallus gallus | P25324 | 72.8% | Diamond |
| Thermus thermophilus HB27 | Q72JV2 | 64.5% | Diamond |
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 | Q9I452 | 42.8% | Diamond |
| Schizosaccharomyces pombe 972h- | Q9USJ1 | 41.0% | Diamond |
| Saccharomyces cerevisiae S288C | Q08686 | 36.9% | Diamond |
| Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus str. Delta H | O26719 | 34.9% | Diamond |
Genomic neighbors (locus context)
Genes flanking this one on the chromosome (NCBI/Entrez gene neighborhood). Positional context only — some neighbors share regulatory elements (bidirectional promoters, antisense/overlapping transcripts), but chromosomal adjacency is not itself a functional relationship (see Interactions for that).
| Symbol | Type | Entrez |
|---|---|---|
| CIMIP4 | protein-coding | 339669 |
| TST | protein-coding | 7263 |
| IL2RB-AS1 | ncRNA | 139281655 |
| TMPRSS6 | protein-coding | 164656 |
| IL2RB | protein-coding | 3560 |
| KCTD17 | protein-coding | 79734 |
| LL22NC01-81G9.3 | ncRNA | 100506241 |
Protein
Protein identifiers
3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase — P25325 (reviewed: P25325)
All UniProt accessions (3): A0A140VJX3, B1AH49, P25325
UniProt curated annotations — full annotation on UniProt →
Function. Transfer of a sulfur ion to cyanide or to other thiol compounds. Also has weak rhodanese activity. Detoxifies cyanide and is required for thiosulfate biosynthesis. Acts as an antioxidant. In combination with cysteine aminotransferase (CAT), contributes to the catabolism of cysteine and is an important producer of hydrogen sulfide in the brain, retina and vascular endothelial cells. Hydrogen sulfide H(2)S is an important synaptic modulator, signaling molecule, smooth muscle contractor and neuroprotectant. Its production by the 3MST/CAT pathway is regulated by calcium ions.
Subunit / interactions. Monomer (active form). Homodimer; disulfide-linked (inactive form).
Subcellular location. Cytoplasm. Mitochondrion. Synapse. Synaptosome.
Disease relevance. Aberrant MPST activity is found in a few cases of mercaptolactate-cysteine disulfiduria (MCDU) characterized by the appearance of large quantaties of the sulfur-containing amino acid, beta-mercaptolactate-cysteine disulfide, in the urine. Some cases have associated intellectual disability.
Activity regulation. By oxidative stress, and thioredoxin. Under oxidative stress conditions, the catalytic cysteine site is converted to a sulfenate which inhibits the MPST enzyme activity. Reduced thioredoxin cleaves an intersubunit disulfide bond to turn on the redox switch and reactivate the enzyme.
Domain organisation. Contains two rhodanese domains with different primary structures but with near identical secondary structure conformations suggesting a common evolutionary origin. Only the C-terminal rhodanese domain contains the catalytic cysteine residue.
Miscellaneous. Thioredoxin (Trx) or dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) are required to release hydrogen sulfide from the persulfide intermediate.
Isoforms (2)
| UniProt ID | Names | Canonical? |
|---|---|---|
| P25325-1 | 1 | yes |
| P25325-2 | 2 |
RefSeq proteins (5): NP_001013454, NP_001123989, NP_001356833, NP_001356834, NP_066949* (*=MANE)
Domains & families (InterPro)
| ID | Name | Type |
|---|---|---|
| IPR001307 | Thiosulphate_STrfase_CS | Conserved_site |
| IPR001763 | Rhodanese-like_dom | Domain |
| IPR036873 | Rhodanese-like_dom_sf | Homologous_superfamily |
| IPR045078 | TST/MPST-like | Family |
Pfam: PF00581
Enzyme classification (BRENDA)
- EC 2.8.1.2 — 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (BRENDA: 12 organisms, 45 substrates, 35 inhibitors, 78 Km, 47 kcat entries)
Substrate kinetics (BRENDA)
13 substrates with measured Km, best-characterized 13. Km ranges are aggregated across organisms/conditions.
| Substrate | Km (mM) | Measurements |
|---|---|---|
| 3-MERCAPTOPYRUVATE | 0.015–73 | 48 |
| CYANIDE | 1.66–6 | 4 |
| L-CYSTEINE | 3.8–6 | 4 |
| THIOREDOXIN | 0.0025–0.0031 | 4 |
| DITHIOTHREITOL | 2.59–4.6 | 3 |
| N-ACETYL-L-CYSTEINE | 11.4–17 | 3 |
| 2-MERCAPTOETHANOL | 19–108 | 2 |
| THIOSULFATE | 1.7–266 | 2 |
| CYSTEINE | 8.2 | 1 |
| DIHYDROLIPOIC ACID | 4.4 | 1 |
| GLUTATHIONE | 28 | 1 |
| L-HOMOCYSTEINE | 12.5 | 1 |
| REDUCED THIOREDOXIN | 0.3 | 1 |
Catalyzed reactions (Rhea)
- 2-oxo-3-sulfanylpropanoate + [thioredoxin]-dithiol = [thioredoxin]-disulfide + hydrogen sulfide + pyruvate + H(+) (RHEA:21740)
UniProt features (45 total): helix 15, modified residue 9, strand 9, sequence conflict 2, domain 2, initiator methionine 1, chain 1, disulfide bond 1, splice variant 1, turn 1, region of interest 1, active site 1, binding site 1
Structure
Experimental structures (PDB)
2 structures by resolution:
| PDB | Title | Method | Resolution (Å) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4JGT | Structure and kinetic analysis of H2S production by human Mercaptopyruvate … | X-RAY DIFFRACTION | 2.16 |
| 3OLH | Human 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase | X-RAY DIFFRACTION | 2.5 |
Predicted structure (AlphaFold)
| Model | pLDDT | Fraction very-high |
|---|---|---|
| AF-P25325-F1 | 95.74 | 0.93 |
Human Protein Atlas
Protein class: Enzymes, ENZYME proteins, Transferases, Metabolic proteins, Predicted intracellular proteins, Plasma proteins, Disease related genes, Potential drug targets
Protein evidence: Evidence at protein level
Subcellular location (HPA, imaging): mitochondria; cytosol
Antibody reliability (HPA): IH enhanced · IF approved
Functional residue map
Curated UniProt residues grouped by drug-discovery relevance — catalytic, ligand-binding, modification, and mutation-validated positions. Source: UniProtKB sequence features.
Catalytic / active sites (1)
| Position | Role |
|---|---|
| 248 | cysteine persulfide intermediate |
Ligand- & substrate-binding residues (1)
| Position | Role |
|---|---|
| 188 | substrate |
Post-translational modifications (9)
| Type | Positions |
|---|---|
| N6-acetyllysine | 40 |
| N6-succinyllysine | 40, 146, 164 |
| Phosphoserine | 15, 23, 3, 35 |
| N-acetylalanine | 2 |
Disulfide bonds (1)
| Type | Positions |
|---|---|
| Interchain (with c-264) | 264 |
Function
Pathways and Gene Ontology
Reactome pathways
1 curated (TAS) of 4; 0 disease pathways. Curated-first; evidence = TAS (manually curated) vs IEA (electronic inference).
4 pathways:
| ID | Pathway | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| R-HSA-1614558 | Degradation of cysteine and homocysteine | curated |
| R-HSA-1430728 | Metabolism | — |
| R-HSA-71291 | Metabolism of amino acids and derivatives | — |
| R-HSA-1614635 | Sulfur amino acid metabolism | — |
MSigDB gene sets: 150 (showing top):
GOBP_SPINAL_CORD_DEVELOPMENT, GOBP_HEPATICOBILIARY_SYSTEM_DEVELOPMENT, KAAB_FAILED_HEART_ATRIUM_DN, GOBP_ALPHA_AMINO_ACID_METABOLIC_PROCESS, KEGG_CYSTEINE_AND_METHIONINE_METABOLISM, GOBP_TRNA_METABOLIC_PROCESS, GOBP_HOMOCYSTEINE_METABOLIC_PROCESS, GOBP_RNA_MODIFICATION, GOBP_SULFUR_COMPOUND_BIOSYNTHETIC_PROCESS, WATANABE_RECTAL_CANCER_RADIOTHERAPY_RESPONSIVE_UP, GOBP_SULFUR_COMPOUND_CATABOLIC_PROCESS, BLALOCK_ALZHEIMERS_DISEASE_UP, GOBP_ORGANIC_ACID_CATABOLIC_PROCESS, SCHAEFFER_PROSTATE_DEVELOPMENT_12HR_UP, GOBP_ORGANIC_ACID_METABOLIC_PROCESS
GO Biological Process (9): sulfur amino acid catabolic process (GO:0000098), kidney development (GO:0001822), liver development (GO:0001889), tRNA wobble position uridine thiolation (GO:0002143), cyanate catabolic process (GO:0009440), response to toxic substance (GO:0009636), transsulfuration (GO:0019346), spinal cord development (GO:0021510), hydrogen sulfide biosynthetic process (GO:0070814)
GO Molecular Function (6): thiosulfate-cyanide sulfurtransferase activity (GO:0004792), sulfurtransferase activity (GO:0016783), 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase activity (GO:0016784), identical protein binding (GO:0042802), protein binding (GO:0005515), transferase activity (GO:0016740)
GO Cellular Component (6): mitochondrion (GO:0005739), mitochondrial matrix (GO:0005759), neuron projection (GO:0043005), synapse (GO:0045202), extracellular exosome (GO:0070062), cytoplasm (GO:0005737)
Reactome top-level categories
3 top-level categories:
| Category | Pathways |
|---|---|
| Sulfur amino acid metabolism | 1 |
| Metabolism of amino acids and derivatives | 1 |
| Metabolism | 1 |
GO top-level categories
31 GO namespaces:
| Category | Terms |
|---|---|
| sulfurtransferase activity | 2 |
| sulfur amino acid metabolic process | 1 |
| sulfur compound catabolic process | 1 |
| carboxylic acid catabolic process | 1 |
| animal organ development | 1 |
| renal system development | 1 |
| gland development | 1 |
| hepaticobiliary system development | 1 |
| tRNA wobble uridine modification | 1 |
| tRNA thio-modification | 1 |
| catabolic process | 1 |
| response to chemical | 1 |
| homocysteine metabolic process | 1 |
| proteinogenic amino acid metabolic process | 1 |
| central nervous system development | 1 |
| animal gross anatomical part developmental process | 1 |
| sulfur compound biosynthetic process | 1 |
| hydrogen sulfide metabolic process | 1 |
| transferase activity, transferring sulphur-containing groups | 1 |
| protein binding | 1 |
| binding | 1 |
| catalytic activity | 1 |
| cytoplasm | 1 |
| intracellular membrane-bounded organelle | 1 |
| mitochondrion | 1 |
| intracellular organelle lumen | 1 |
| plasma membrane bounded cell projection | 1 |
| cell junction | 1 |
| extracellular vesicle | 1 |
| intracellular anatomical structure | 1 |
| cellular anatomical structure | 1 |
Experimentally-supported GO annotations
GO terms backed by direct experimental evidence (ECO experimental codes) — 2 of 21 annotations. The rest are phylogenetic / computational / electronic (IEA).
2 experimentally-supported GO terms:
| GO term | NS | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| extracellular exosome | CC | high-throughput assay |
| mitochondrion | CC | high-throughput |
Protein interactions and networks
STRING
showing 15 of 860 interactions by confidence (×1000):
| Protein A | Protein B | Partner UniProt | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| MPST | CTH | P32929 | 929 |
| MPST | P0DN79 | P0DN79 | 903 |
| MPST | H7C2H4 | H7C2H4 | 903 |
| MPST | RET | P07949 | 876 |
| MPST | SUOX | P51687 | 772 |
| MPST | ETHE1 | O95571 | 758 |
| MPST | SQOR | Q9Y6N5 | 734 |
| MPST | DAO | P14920 | 727 |
| MPST | MOCS3 | O95396 | 708 |
| MPST | CTU1 | Q7Z7A3 | 682 |
| MPST | URM1 | Q9BTM9 | 655 |
| MPST | NFS1 | Q9Y697 | 607 |
| MPST | CARS1 | P49589 | 593 |
| MPST | CDO1 | P78513 | 550 |
| MPST | CARS2 | Q9HA77 | 550 |
IntAct
Human interaction partners of MPST in IntAct, one row per partner (best MIscore; records = supporting IntAct interaction records).
4 partners by confidence:
| Partner | Interaction type | MIscore | Records |
|---|---|---|---|
| AKT1 | physical association | 0.570 | 3 |
| ZBED1 | physical association | 0.560 | 3 |
| PCNA | physical association | 0.370 | 1 |
| TFAP2A | physical association | 0.370 | 1 |
BioGRID (71 interactions; top human partners by supporting records): CLPP (Proximity Label-MS; 2 records), ACO2 (Co-fractionation), ALDH4A1 (Co-fractionation), ANXA4 (Co-fractionation), BID (Co-fractionation), C1orf198 (Co-fractionation), C21orf33 (Co-fractionation), CLIC4 (Co-fractionation), CMPK1 (Co-fractionation), CRYZ (Co-fractionation), CTSB (Co-fractionation), CTSD (Co-fractionation), DDAH2 (Co-fractionation), DISC1 (Affinity Capture-MS), EIF2B1 (Co-fractionation)
Disease & clinical
Genetic variants
Variant evidence for MPST: 56 ClinVar records (0 pathogenic / likely pathogenic); 1 GWAS association.
ClinVar
56 variants total. Per-class counts are floors (≥ shown; pagination cap):
| Classification | Count (floor) |
|---|---|
| Pathogenic | 0 |
| Likely pathogenic | 0 |
| Uncertain significance | 50 |
| Likely benign | 2 |
| Benign | 0 |
SpliceAI
Top 10 splice-impact sites by Δscore (adjacent positions with the same effect merged into one range; 24 predictions of 391):
| Position(s) | Effect | Δscore | Sites |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22:37029211 | acceptor_gain | 0.9900 | |
| 22:37029214–37029215 | acceptor_loss | 0.9800 | 6 |
| 22:37024776 | donor_gain | 0.9700 | |
| 22:37029200 | acceptor_gain | 0.9600 | |
| 22:37029208 | acceptor_gain | 0.9600 | |
| 22:37019873–37019874 | donor_loss | 0.9500 | 6 |
| 22:37024170 | acceptor_gain | 0.9300 | |
| 22:37019875 | donor_loss | 0.9200 | |
| 22:37019875 | donor_loss | 0.9100 | |
| 22:37024190–37024191 | acceptor_loss | 0.9000 | 5 |
AlphaMissense
677 missense substitutions predicted likely pathogenic (of 2,048 scored), across 178 residues. Top 20 hotspot residues, ranked by the number of likely-pathogenic substitutions (of those reachable by a single-nucleotide change), then by mean score:
| Residue | Likely-pathogenic substitutions | Mean am_pathogenicity | Max am_pathogenicity |
|---|---|---|---|
| D182 | 8 | 0.984 | 0.992 |
| D101 | 8 | 0.961 | 0.987 |
| D33 | 8 | 0.953 | 0.970 |
| D273 | 8 | 0.942 | 0.970 |
| F82 | 8 | 0.924 | 0.983 |
| F117 | 8 | 0.888 | 0.974 |
| F233 | 8 | 0.883 | 0.973 |
| F60 | 8 | 0.882 | 0.975 |
| H74 | 8 | 0.880 | 0.964 |
| N172 | 8 | 0.798 | 0.950 |
| W276 | 7 | 0.978 | 0.994 |
| F189 | 7 | 0.971 | 0.995 |
| W279 | 7 | 0.959 | 0.990 |
| F49 | 7 | 0.949 | 0.992 |
| W114 | 7 | 0.936 | 0.984 |
| F120 | 7 | 0.927 | 0.982 |
| W135 | 7 | 0.919 | 0.980 |
| C248 | 7 | 0.919 | 0.982 |
| F213 | 7 | 0.909 | 0.987 |
| R188 | 7 | 0.905 | 0.969 |
HPA cancer prognostics
RNA cancer specificity: Low cancer specificity
Human Protein Atlas survival analysis — favorable = higher expression predicts better survival.
2 prognostic cancer types:
| Cancer | Prognostic | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| Glioblastoma Multiforme (validation) | favorable | 1.71e-05 |
| Glioblastoma Multiforme (TCGA) | favorable | 0.000154 |
Disease associations
OMIM: gene MIM:602496 | disease phenotypes:
GenCC curated gene-disease
1 curated gene-disease records:
| Disease | Classification | Inheritance | Records |
|---|---|---|---|
| encephalopathy due to beta-mercaptolactate-cysteine disulfiduria | No Known Disease Relationship | Autosomal recessive |
ClinGen Gene-Disease Validity
Expert-panel classifications — Definitive > Strong > Moderate > Limited > Disputed > Refuted.
1 validity classifications:
| Disease | Classification | Inheritance |
|---|---|---|
| encephalopathy due to beta-mercaptolactate-cysteine disulfiduria | No Known Disease Relationship | AR |
Mondo (1): encephalopathy due to beta-mercaptolactate-cysteine disulfiduria (MONDO:0009585)
GWAS associations
1 associations:
| Study | Trait | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| GCST007457_8 | Eye color (saturation) | 5e-8 |
EFO canonical traits (from GWAS)
1 canonical traits:
| EFO ID | Trait name |
|---|---|
| EFO:0009764 | eye colour measurement |
MeSH disease descriptors
1 disease descriptors:
| Descriptor | Name | Tree numbers |
|---|---|---|
| C563085 | Mercaptolactate-Cysteine Disulfiduria *(supp.)* |
Drugs & pharmacology
Drug and pharmacology data
Is drug target: yes
ChEMBL targets (1): CHEMBL6066937 (SINGLE PROTEIN)
PharmGKB: 1 entry (CPIC guideline: no)
GtoPdb / IUPHAR curated pharmacology
(IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology — expert-curated)
Target class: enzyme — Hydrogen sulphide synthesis
Most potent curated ligand interactions (1 total), top 1:
| Ligand | Action | Affinity | Parameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| I3MT-3 | Inhibition | 5.57 | pIC50 |
Binding affinities (BindingDB)
1 measured of 1 human assays (1 total across all organisms); most potent 1 below. Values come from heterogeneous assays and are not directly comparable.
| Ligand | Measure | Value |
|---|---|---|
| CHEMBL5653589 | KD | 1440 nM |
CTD chemical–gene interactions
56 total (human), top 30 by PubMed support.
| Chemical | Actions (top 5) | PubMed papers |
|---|---|---|
| Aflatoxin B1 | affects expression, decreases expression, increases methylation | 4 |
| bisphenol A | decreases expression, increases expression, affects expression | 3 |
| sodium arsenite | decreases expression, increases expression | 2 |
| methacrylaldehyde | affects cotreatment, decreases expression, increases abundance | 2 |
| Acrolein | affects cotreatment, decreases expression, increases abundance | 2 |
| Air Pollutants | increases abundance, increases expression, affects cotreatment, decreases expression | 2 |
| Benzo(a)pyrene | decreases expression | 2 |
| Ozone | affects cotreatment, decreases expression, increases abundance | 2 |
| Smoke | increases abundance, increases expression, decreases expression | 2 |
| 1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium | increases expression, decreases expression | 2 |
| FR900359 | increases phosphorylation | 1 |
| bismuth tripotassium dicitrate | decreases expression | 1 |
| 2,4,6-tribromophenol | decreases expression | 1 |
| triphenyl phosphate | affects expression | 1 |
| alpha-pinene | affects cotreatment, decreases expression, increases abundance | 1 |
| sodium arsenate | decreases expression | 1 |
| pyrogallol 1,3-dimethyl ether | affects cotreatment, affects localization, decreases expression, increases expression | 1 |
| decabromobiphenyl ether | decreases expression | 1 |
| tetrabromobisphenol A | decreases expression | 1 |
| perfluorooctanoic acid | increases expression | 1 |
| aflatoxin B2 | increases methylation | 1 |
| di-n-butylphosphoric acid | affects expression | 1 |
| perfluorooctane sulfonic acid | increases expression | 1 |
| nutlin 3 | increases secretion, affects cotreatment | 1 |
| bisphenol B | increases expression | 1 |
| abrine | decreases expression | 1 |
| 2,2’,4,4’-tetrabromodiphenyl ether | decreases expression | 1 |
| pentabrominated diphenyl ether 100 | decreases expression | 1 |
| hexabrominated diphenyl ether 153 | decreases expression | 1 |
| jinfukang | affects cotreatment, increases expression | 1 |
ChEMBL screening assays
1 unique, capped per target: 1 binding
Representative assays (with source publication via chembl_document):
| Assay ID | Type | Description | Source paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHEMBL5651808 | Binding | Binding affinity to human MPST incubated for 45 mins by Kinobead based pull down assay | NVP-BHG712: Effects of Regioisomers on the Affinity and Selectivity toward the EPHrin Family. — *ChemMedChem* |
Cellosaurus cell lines
1 cell lines: 1 transformed cell line
First 10 cell lines (id-ordered, not curated):
| Cellosaurus | Name | Category | Sex |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVCL_B3B7 | Abcam HEK293T MPST KO | Transformed cell line | Female |
Clinical trials (associated diseases)
Via MONDO — disease-level, not drug-specific.
Predicted chemistry — Sugi Predict
The predicted patent-compound landscape for MPST across ~30M SureChEMBL compounds — explore on Sugi Predict.
Related Atlas pages
- Associated diseases: encephalopathy due to beta-mercaptolactate-cysteine disulfiduria
- Disease cohort memberships (association, not causation — diseases whose associated-gene cohort lists this gene; a subset are also under Associated diseases): encephalopathy due to beta-mercaptolactate-cysteine disulfiduria