Slalom encodes an adenosine 3'-phosphate 5'-phosphosulfate transporter essential for development in Drosophila

Sulfation of all macromolecules entering the secretory pathway in higher organisms occurs in the Golgi and requires the high-energy sulfate donor adenosine 3'-phosphate 5'-phosphosulfate. Here we report the first molecular identification of a gene that encodes a transmembrane protein required to transport adenosine 3'-phosphate 5'-phosphosulfate from the cytosol into the Golgi lumen. Mutations in this gene, which we call slalom, display defects in Wg and Hh signaling, which are likely due to the lack of sulfation of glycosaminoglycans by the sulfotransferase sulfateless. Analysis of mosaic mutant ovaries shows that sll function is also essential for dorsal-ventral axis determination, suggesting that sll transports the sulfate donor required for sulfotransferase activity of the dorsal-ventral determinant pipe.