the epimerases and O-sulfotransferases, were analyzed using cDNA microarray (Fig. S3; the data obtained have been deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, accession number GSE27040). The mRNA levels in ESCC biopsies were compared to a reference pool of 10 human cancer cell lines to give a broad representation of transcripts. Therefore, the values do not represent a comparison between cancer and normal tissues. The data showed that tumors from 37 patients with esophageal and gastric carcinomas had similar mRNA expression patterns. Altogether, the activity results showed that the main O-sulfotransferase activities are upregulated in human ESCC, which is in line with the increased production of CS/DS observed in tumors.
