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Enzyme
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Query: EC:1.1.1.3 (
HSD
)
3,464
document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)
The hamster, a rodent possessing adrenal 17 alpha-hydroxylase activity, was used to study the effect of ACTH on the regulation of cortisol formation in vivo. The characterization of the mRNA and protein of hamster adrenal steroidogenic enzymes revealed close similarities between this animal and other mammalian species. The hamster adrenal RNA hybridized in a single band to cDNA probes for bovine adrenal P450scc, P450(17 alpha),
P450c21
, to mouse adrenal P450(11 beta), and to pig testis 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3 beta
HSD
) in the areas of 2.2, 2.0, 2.3, 2.0, and 2.1 kilobases, respectively. Immunoblotting analyses revealed the presence of single protein bands reacting with antibodies to bovine P450scc,
P450c21
, porcine P450(17 alpha), or human placental 3 beta
HSD
in the areas of 52, 55, 51, and 41 kilodaltons, respectively, whereas two protein bands were detected at 48 and 52 kilodaltons with the antibody to bovine P450(11 beta). After stimulation with ACTH injected at 5-h intervals over 20 h, plasma cortisol levels, which were already increased 2.5 h after the first injection, remained elevated for the duration of treatment and returned to control values 15 h after the last injection. The ratios of plasma cortisol to corticosterone were 1.5, 3.9, and 7 at 0, 2.5, and 5 h after the first injection and continued to rise to a value of 11 at 15 h after multiple injections. This ratio returned to control values 15 h after cessation of either the short term (one injection) or long term (five injections) treatment, indicating a control mechanism favoring cortisol formation upon ACTH stimulation. Of the adrenal enzyme systems examined, only three were directly affected by ACTH treatment. The mRNA level of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme-A reductase, the key precholesterol regulatory step, increased after ACTH administration within 2.5 h and remained elevated during the entire study period. ACTH provoked a rapid and sustained increase in P450scc mRNA levels, which decreased very slowly after cessation of treatment without reaching control values 30 h after the last injection. Meanwhile, ACTH treatment caused no changes in the amount of adrenal cytochrome P450scc protein during treatment and 30 h after its cessation. Therefore, we postulate that factors other than newly synthesized P450scc protein participate in the control of this rate-limiting step. The high P450scc mRNA levels observed suggest stabilization of mRNA and posttranscriptional events affecting its catabolism.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
...
PMID:In vivo effects of adrenocorticotropin on hamster adrenal steroidogenic enzymes. 132 21
ACTH independent bilateral macronodular adrenocortical hyperplasia (AIMAH) is associated with autonomous hypercortisolism. We report six cases of AIMAH, in which immunohistochemical studies on steroidogenic enzymes (P450scc, 3 beta
HSD
,
P450c21
, P450c17, P450c11) were performed on surgically resected adrenal glands. In situ hybridization studies of P450c17 were performed in two cases in order to localize the sites of steroidogenesis. Immunoreactivity to P450scc,
P450c21
, and P450c11 was observed in both clear and compact cortical cells, with compact cells displaying more intense staining, as reported in Cushing's adenoma and ACTH dependent bilateral adrenocortical hyperplasia. Immunoreactivity to P450c17 was observed predominantly in small compact cells, whereas that to 3 beta
HSD
occurred exclusively in clear cortical cells. In situ hybridization also demonstrated that P450c17 was localized in small compact cortical cells. This differential expression of 3 beta
HSD
and P450c17 in clear and compact cortical cells has been observed only in AIMAH among adrenocortical disorders. This ineffective corticosteroidogenesis may contribute to the relatively low production of cortisol. AIMAH should therefore be considered as a distinct subtype of primary adrenocortical Cushing's syndrome.
...
PMID:ACTH-independent macronodular adrenocortical hyperplasia: immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization studies of steroidogenic enzymes. 800 46
The unique characteristics of the primate (particularly human) fetal adrenal were first realized in the early 1900s when its morphology was examined in detail and compared with that of other species. The unusual architecture of the human fetal adrenal cortex, with its unique and disproportionately enlarged fetal zone, its compact definitive zone, and its dramatic remodeling soon after birth captured the interest of developmental anatomists. Many detailed anatomical studies describing the morphology of the developing human fetal adrenal were reported between 1920 and 1960, and these morphological descriptions have not changed significantly. More recently, it has become clear that fetal adrenal cortical growth involves cellular hypertrophy, hyperplasia, apoptosis, and migration and is best described by the migration theory, i.e. cells proliferate in the periphery, migrate centripetally, differentiate during their migration to form the functional cortical zones, and then likely undergo apoptosis in the center of the cortex. Consistent with this model, cells of intermediate phenotype, arranged in columnar cords typical of migration, have been identified between the definitive and fetal zones. This cortical area has been referred to as the transitional zone and, based on the expression of steroidogenic enzymes, we consider it to be a functionally distinct cortical zone. Elegant experiments during the 1950s and 1960s demonstrated the central role of the primate fetal adrenal cortex in establishing the estrogenic milieu of pregnancy. Those findings were among the first indications of the function and physiological role of the human fetal adrenal cortex and led Diczfalusy and co-workers to propose the concept of the feto-placental unit, in which DHEA-S produced by the fetal adrenal cortex is used by the placenta for estrogen synthesis. Tissue and cell culture techniques, together with improved steroid assays, revealed that the fetal zone is the primary source of DHEA-S, and that its steroidogenic activity is regulated by ACTH. In recent years, function of the human and rhesus monkey fetal adrenal cortical zones has been reexamined by assessing the localization and ontogeny of steroidogenic enzyme expression. The primate fetal adrenal cortex is composed of three functionally distinct zones: 1) the fetal zone, which throughout gestation does not express 3 beta
HSD
but does express P450scc and P450c17 required for DHEA-S synthesis; 2) the transitional zone, which early in gestation is functionally identical to the fetal zone but late in gestation (after 25-30 weeks) expresses 3 beta
HSD
, P450scc, and P450c17, and therefore is the likely site of glucocorticoid synthesis, and 3) the definitive zone, which lacks P450c17 throughout gestation but late in gestation (after 22-24 weeks) expresses 3 beta
HSD
and P450scc, and therefore is the likely site of mineralocorticoid synthesis. Indirect evidence, based on effects of
P450c21
deficiency and maternal estriol concentrations, indicate that the fetal adrenal cortex produces cortisol and DHEA-S early in gestation (6-12 weeks). However, controversy exists as to whether cortisol is produced de novo or derived from the metabolism of progesterone, as data regarding the expression of 3 beta
HSD
in the fetal adrenal cortex early in gestation are conflicting. During the 1960s, Liggins and colleagues demonstrated that in the sheep, cortisol secreted by the fetal adrenal cortex late in gestation regulates maturation of the fetus and initiates the cascade of events leading to parturition. Those pioneering discoveries provided insight into the mechanism underlying the timing of parturition and therefore were of particular interest to obstetricians and perinatologists confronted with the problems of preterm labor. However, although cortisol emanating from the fetal adrenal cortex promotes fetal maturation in primates as it does in sheep, its role in the regulation of primate parturition, unlike that in sheep
...
PMID:Developmental and functional biology of the primate fetal adrenal cortex. 918 69
Flavodoxin Sepharose (Fld Sepharose), a reagent originally developed to demonstrate an interaction between native Escherichia coli Fld and cytochrome P450c17, has been synthesized, using highly expressed (7 micromol Fld/liter E. coli culture) recombinant E. coli Fld, for use as an affinity resin for microsomal cytochromes P450. As a test of the specificity of Fld Sepharose, we have examined the utility of this resin for purification of P450c17 and
P450c21
from a relatively crude mixture of solubilized adrenocortical microsomal proteins. Chromatography of this mixture on Fld Sepharose resulted in a threefold enrichment of cytochrome P450 specific content without spectrally detectable P450 denaturation. Electrophoretic and immunoblot analyses of fractions eluted from the Fld Sepharose column revealed the presence of P450c17 and
P450c21
, both of which were sufficiently pure, after SDS-PAGE, for identification by N-terminal sequence analysis. Intriguingly, a major protein copurifying with P450c17 and
P450c21
was identified as 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3beta-HSD) which was subsequently found not to directly bind Fld Sepharose. Purified bovine 3beta-
HSD
covalently linked to Sepharose can bind recombinant bovine P450c17, an interaction which is partially disrupted upon mild heat denaturation of P450c17 or by the nonionic detergent Emulgen. This interaction, however, does not appear to affect P450c17 hydroxylase and lyase activities as measured in vitro. From these results, we propose that 3beta-
HSD
and P450c17 may associate, perhaps as part of a steroidogenic complex, in the endoplasmic reticulum.
...
PMID:Escherichia coli flavodoxin sepharose as an affinity resin for cytochromes P450 and use to identify a putative cytochrome P450c17/3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase interaction. 934 69
A 48-year-old woman with Cushing's syndrome due to bilateral adrenocortical adenomas is reported. The patient presented with a typical Cushingoid appearance. The serum cortisol level was elevated with loss of the diurnal rhythm and the plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level was undetectable. Dynamic testing showed no suppression of urinary 17-OHCS by high-dose dexamethasone and no stimulation by metyrapone. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan showed bilateral adrenal tumors. Bilateral adrenalectomy was performed. The right adrenal gland contained a tumor that was encapsulated and consisted mainly of compact cells. The surrounding cortex was atrophic. The left adrenal gland contained an encapsulated tumor composed predominantly of clear cells. There were numerous small adrenocortical nodules in the surrounding cortex. Immunohistochemical analysis of steroidogenic enzymes (P450scc, 3beta-
HSD
,
P450c21
, P450c17 and P450c11) was performed. Immunoreactivity of all the enzymes was intense in the compact cells of the right adrenocortical adenoma, while the adjacent non-neoplastic cortex was negative for the enzymes. In the left adrenal tumor, the immunoreactivity of 3beta-
HSD
was intense, while that of P450c17 was weak. In the adrenocortical nodules, 3beta-
HSD
activity was sporadically observed. G protein genes encoding Gs alpha and Gi2 were examined for activating mutations at codons 201 and 227 (Gs alpha) and codons 179 and 205 (Gi2 alpha) in the bilateral adrenal tumors, but no mutations were found. The bilateral adenomas of this patient showed marked differences in microscopic and immunohistochemical studies, suggesting that the capacity of steroidogenesis differs between the right and left tumors.
...
PMID:Cushing's syndrome due to bilateral adrenocortical adenomas with different pathological features. 939 54
The congenital adrenal hyperplasias (CAH) are a group of inherited enzymatic defects of adrenal steroid biosynthesis. Deficiencies of each enzyme required in the steroid biosynthesis pathway are known, and these deficiencies are all inherited as autosomal recessive disorders. During pregnancy, maternal and fetal problems are confined to women who have 21-hydroxylase deficiency (
P450c21
deficiency), 11-hydroxylase deficiency (P450c11 deficiency), and 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency (3 beta
HSD
deficiency), because other adrenal enzyme deficiencies are not compatible with fertility. The interposition of the placenta on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and other endocrine changes during pregnancy impact considerably on the clinical evaluation of the congenital adrenal hyperplasias. Successful management of CAH in pregnancy requires a firm knowledge of normal adrenal anatomic and endocrine changes that occur during gestation. Women with severe forms of CAH have decreased fertility rates because of oligo-ovulation, and successful conception requires a combination of good therapeutic compliance, careful endocrine monitoring, and often ovulation induction. From a fetal and neonatal standpoint, accurate prenatal diagnosis of 21-hydroxylase deficiency and 11-hydroxylase deficiency is now possible, which allows for prenatal treatment in an attempt to minimize clinical problems in the neonates. Prevention of masculinization of affected female fetuses by corticosteroid suppression has been attempted in both 21-hydroxylase deficiency and 11beta-hydroxylase deficiency CAH, with variable degrees of success. This review provides an overview of the congenital adrenal hyperplasias and their management during pregnancy.
...
PMID:Congenital adrenal hyperplasia in pregnancy. 988 Jan 15
Several autosomal recessive disorders affecting the adrenal cortex and its development and leading to defective cortisol biosynthesis are known under the collective term "congenital adrenal hyperplasia" (CAH). Over the last two decades, the genes causing most of these disorders have been identified and molecular genetics may supplement their clinical and biochemical diagnosis. In addition, new treatments have emerged; although gene therapy has yet to be applied in humans, studies are ongoing in gene transfer in adrenocortical cell lines and animal models. In this review, after a brief introduction on the developmental biology and biochemistry of the adrenal cortex and its enzymes, we will list the new developments in the genetics and treatment of diseases causing CAH, starting with the most recent findings. This order happens to follow adrenal steroidogenesis from the mitochondrial entry of cholesterol to cortisol synthesis; it is unlike other presentations of CAH syndromes that start with the most frequently seen syndromes, because the latter were also the first to be investigated at the genetic level and have been extensively reviewed elsewhere. We will start with the latest syndrome to be molecularly investigated, congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia (CLAH), which is caused by mutations in the gene coding for the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein. We will then present new developments in the genetics of 3-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3 beta
HSD
), 17 hydroxylase and 17,20-lyase (P450c17), 11 hydroxylase (P450c11 beta), and 21 hydroxylase (
P450c21
) deficiencies. Alternative treatment approaches and gene therapy experiments are reviewed collectively in the last section, because they are still in their infantile stages.
...
PMID:Congenital adrenal hyperplasia: molecular genetics and alternative approaches to treatment. 1048 4
Steroid hormones secreted by fetal adrenocortical cells are considered to be a requirement for a fetus to maintain intrauterine life, but, to date, the regulation of steroid hormone secretion has not been studied in detail in the human fetal adrenal gland. In this study, we examined the immunolocalization of steroidogenic enzymes and their local regulation, including adrenal 4-binding protein (Ad4BP or NR5A1), steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), P450 cholesterol side-chain cleavage (P450scc or CYP11A1), P450 17alpha-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase (P450c17 or CYP17), 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/isomerase (3beta-HSD), P450 21 hydroxylase (
P450c21
or CYP21), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfotransferase (DHEA-ST), P450 oxidoreductase and cytochrome b5, in the human fetal adrenal gland (n=31) obtained from fetuses ranging in ages from 14 to 40 weeks of gestation. Ad4BP immunoreactivity was detected in all adrenocortical zones throughout gestation, suggesting that this nuclear protein is likely to be essential in the development of the human adrenal. Immunoreactivity for StAR, P450scc,
P450c21
, P450 oxidoreductase and cytochrome b5 was detected only in fetal and transitional zone between 14 and 22 weeks of gestation, but was detected in all three zones after 23 gestational weeks. 3beta-
HSD
immunoreactivity was not detected in any of the three cortical zones prior to 22 weeks of gestation, but became discernible in the transitional zone and definitive zone after 23 weeks. Immunoreactivity for P450c17 and DHEA-ST was detected in the transitional and fetal zones throughout gestation, but not in the definitive zone. These results suggest that the human adrenal cortex may produce dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in the transitional and fetal zones throughout gestation, and cortisol in the transitional zone after the 23rd week of gestation.
...
PMID:Temporal and spatial distribution of corticosteroidogenic enzymes immunoreactivity in developing human adrenal. 1130 77
Inhibitory effects of flavonoid phytochemicals, flavones, flavonols and isoflavones on cortisol production were examined in human adrenal H295R cells stimulated with di-buthylyl cAMP. In addition, the inhibitory effects of these chemicals on the activity of P450scc, 3beta-
HSD
type II (3beta-
HSD
II), P450c17,
P450c21
and P45011beta, steroidogenic enzymes involved in cortisol biosynthesis, were examined in the same cells. Exposure to 12.5 microM of the flavonoids 6-hydroxyflavone, 4'-hydroxyflavone, apigenin, daidzein, genistein and formononetin significantly decreased cortisol production (by 6.3, 69.6, 47.5, 26.6, 13.8 and 11.3%, respectively), and biochanin A significantly decreased cortisol production (by 47.3%) at a concentration of 25 microM without any significant cytotoxic effects or changes in cell number. Daidzin, the 7-glucoside of daidzein, did not alter cortisol production by H295R cells at concentrations over 10 microg/ml (24 microM). Daidzein-induced reduction of cortisol production by H295R cells was not inhibited by the estrogen receptor antagonist ICI 182,780. The flavonoids 6-hydroxyflavone, daidzein, genistein, biochanin A and formononetin strongly and significantly inhibited microsomal 3beta-
HSD
II activity at concentrations from 1 to 25 microM, and I(50) values were estimated to be 1.3, 2, 1, 0.5 and 2.7 microM, respectively. In addition, these flavonoids significantly inhibited microsomal
P450c21
activity at 12.5 and/or 25 microM. In addition, 6-hydroxyflavone inhibited activity of microsomal P450c17 and mitochondrial P45011beta at 12.5 and/or 25 microM. Results of Lineweaver-Burk's plot analysis indicate that daidzein is a competitive inhibitor of the activity of 3beta-
HSD
II and
P450c21
. K(m) and V(max) values of 3beta-
HSD
II for DHEA were estimated to be 6.6 microM and 328pmol/minmg protein, respectively. K(m) and V(max) values of
P450c21
for progesterone were estimated to be 2.8 microM and 16pmol/minmg protein, respectively. K(i) values of 3beta-
HSD
II and
P450c21
for daidzein were estimated to be 2.9 and 33.3 microM, respectively.
...
PMID:Effects of flavonoid phytochemicals on cortisol production and on activities of steroidogenic enzymes in human adrenocortical H295R cells. 1194 20
In the present study, it was hypothesized that the adrenocorticotrophin hormone receptor (ACTH-R) would be up-regulated in the adrenal gland of the sheep fetus following infusion of physiological amounts of ACTH, as shown for adrenal cortical cells in culture. In chronically catheterized sheep, an intravenous infusion of ACTH(1-24) was given to 6 fetuses for 24 h at a rate of 0.5 microg h(-1), starting on Day 126 or 127 of gestation (term approximately 147 days). Four control fetuses received an infusion of vehicle (saline). Total RNA was extracted from the fetal adrenal glands by the guanidinium thiocyanate method. Expression of specific mRNAs was determined by ribonuclease protection assay using cRNA probes directed against: ACTH-R; the steroid enzymes side-chain cleavage (P450scc), 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3beta-HSD), 17apha-hydroxylase (P450c17) and 21beta-hydroxylase (
P450c21
); and beta-actin. Ratios of mRNA expression to beta-actin mRNA expression (arbitrary units) were calculated to correct for differences in RNA quality between samples. The concentration (mean +/- SEM) of immunoreactive cortisol in fetal plasma was greater after ACTH infusion than after vehicle infusion (47 +/- 3 v. 13 +/- 2 ng mL(-1) respectively; P<0.001). Adrenal expression of P450scc and
P450c21
mRNA increased after ACTH infusion (P<0.05), whereas expression of P450c17 and 3beta-
HSD
mRNA was unchanged. There was no difference in ACTH-R mRNA expression between ACTH- and vehicle-infused fetuses (254 +/- 48 v. 305 +/- 76 arbitrary units respectively). It was concluded that ACTH is able to increase plasma cortisol concentrations in the sheep fetus by up-regulating cortisol synthesis in the adrenal gland, but that in vivo this does not require up-regulation of ACTH-R mRNA.
...
PMID:Adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) stimulation of sheep fetal adrenal cortex can occur without increased expression of ACTH receptor (ACTH-R) mRNA. 1205 14
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