Fluorinated Phosphoadenosine 5′-Phosphosulfate Analogues for Continuous Sulfotransferase Activity Monitoring and Inhibitor Screening by (19)F NMR Spectroscopy

[Image: see text] Sulfotransferases (STs) are ubiquitous enzymes that participate in a vast number of biological processes involving sulfuryl group (SO(3)) transfer. 3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphosulfate (PAPS) is the universal ST cofactor, serving as the “active sulfate” source in cells. Herein, we report the synthesis of three fluorinated PAPS analogues that bear fluorine or trifluoromethyl substituents at the C2 or C8 positions of adenine and their evaluation as substitute cofactors that enable ST activity to be quantified and real-time-monitored by fluorine-19 nuclear magnetic resonance ((19)F NMR) spectroscopy. Using plant AtSOT18 and human SULT1A3 as two model enzymes, we reveal that the fluorinated PAPS analogues show complementary properties with regard to recognition by enzymes and the working (19)F NMR pH range and are attractive versatile tools for studying STs. Finally, we developed an (19)F NMR assay for screening potential inhibitors against SULT1A3, thereby highlighting the possible use of fluorinated PAPS analogues for the discovery of drugs for ST-related diseases.