This gene encodes an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of sulfate esters by oxidizing a cysteine residue in the substrate sulfatase to an active site 3-oxoalanine residue, which is also known as C-alpha-formylglycine. Mutations in this gene cause multiple sulfatase deficiency, a lysosomal storage disorder. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. [provided by RefSeq, Sep 2009].
Oshikawa, Usami, Kato: "Characterization of the arylsulfatase I (ARSI) gene preferentially expressed in the human retinal pigment epithelium cell line ARPE-19." in: Molecular vision, Vol. 15, pp. 482-94, (2009) (PubMed).