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Structure of the human 3alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 3 in complex with testosterone and NADP at 1.25-A resolution.

The first crystallographic structure of human type 3 3alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3alpha-HSD3, AKR1C2), an enzyme playing a critical role in steroid hormone metabolism, has been determined in complex with testosterone and NADP at 1.25-A resolution. The enzyme's 17beta-HSD activity was studied in comparison with its 3alpha-HSD activity. The enzyme catalyzes the inactivation of dihydrotestosterone into 5alpha-androstane-3alpha,17beta-diol (3alpha-diol) as well as the transformation of androstenedione into testosterone. Using our homogeneous and highly active enzyme preparation, we have obtained 150-fold higher 3alpha-HSD specificity as compared with the former reports in the literature. Although the rat and the human 3alpha-HSDs share 81% sequence homology, our structure reveals significantly different geometries of the active sites. Substitution of the Ser(222) by a histidine in the human enzyme may compel the steroid to adopt a different binding to that previously described for the rat (Bennett, M. J., Albert, R. H., Jez, J. M., Ma, H., Penning, T. M., and Lewis, M. (1997) Structure 5, 799-T812). Furthermore, we showed that the affinity for the cofactor is higher in the human 3alpha-HSD3 than the rat enzyme due to the presence of additional hydrogen bonds on the adenine moiety and that the cofactor is present under its reduced form in the active site in our preparation.

17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Regulation of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 gene expression in human ovarian surface epithelial cells by interleukin-1.

BACKGROUND: Local modulation of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11betaHSD) activity, to promote increased availability of anti-inflammatory glucocorticoids, is proposed as a compensatory response to inflammatory stimuli. Human 11betaHSD type 1 (11betaHSD1) is principally an 11-oxoreductase that reversibly reduces cortisone to cortisol. METHODS: Since ovulation is an acute inflammatory process, we examined the influence of pro-inflammatory cytokines on expression of 11betaHSD1 mRNA and metabolism of cortisone to cortisol by human ovarian surface epithelium (HOSE) in vitro. RESULTS: Northern analysis showed an approximately 1.5 kb-sized 11betaHSD1 mRNA transcript in total RNA that was up-regulated approximately 3-fold by interleukin (IL)-1alpha (0.5 ng/ml) at 24 h. By real-time RT-PCR, induction of 11betaHSD1 mRNA by IL-1alpha was measurable at 6 h and maximal at 12 h. Primary HOSE cell cultures also showed low-level 11-oxoreductase activity that was stimulated time- and dose-dependently by IL-1alpha and IL-1beta. The 11betaHSD1 mRNA and 11-oxoreductase responses to 0.5 ng/ILalpha were both suppressed by IL-1 receptor antagonist (25 ng/ml). CONCLUSIONS: Cultured HOSE cells express IL-1-responsive 11betaHSD1 and 11-oxoreductase activity mRNA in vitro. An 11betaHSD1-catalysed increase in anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid activity caused by pro-inflammatory cytokines could contribute to the local resolution of inflammation during ovulation.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1↗

Expression of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase isozymes and corticosteroid hormone receptors in primary cultures of human trophoblast and placental bed biopsies.

Interconversion of active and inactive glucocorticoids, e.g. cortisol (F) and cortisone (E) is catalysed by 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11 beta-HSD) which exists as two isoforms. We have used human placental bed biopsies and an in-vitro cytotrophoblast cell culture system to examine the expression and activity of the 11 beta-HSD isoforms along with that of the glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors (GR and MR). Immunohistochemistry localized 11 beta-HSD1 to decidualized stromal cells and 11 beta-HSD2 to villous cytotrophoblast, syncytiotrophoblasts and trophoblast cells invading the placental bed and maternal vasculature. In primary cultures of human cytotrophoblast, 11 beta-HSD2, GR and MR mRNA were expressed. Low levels of 11 beta-HSD1 mRNA were noted in these cultured cells, but could be explained on the basis of contaminating, vimentin-positive decidual stromal cells (< or =5%). Enzyme activity studies confirmed the presence of a high-affinity, NAD-dependent dehydrogenase activity (K(m) 137 nmol/l and V(max) 128 pmol E/h/mg protein), indicative of the 11 beta-HSD2 isoform. No reductase activity was observed. The presence of functional MR and GR was determined using Scatchard analyses of dexamethasone and aldosterone binding (MR K(d) 1.4 nmol/l B(max) 3.0; GR K(d) 6.6 nmol/l B(max) 16.2 fmol/ng protein). The expression of 11 beta-HSD1 in maternal decidua and 11 beta-HSD2 in adjacent trophoblast suggests an important role for glucocorticoids in determining trophoblast invasion. The presence of the MR within trophoblast indicates that some of the effects of cortisol could be MR- rather than GR-mediated.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2↗

Full induction of rat myometrial 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 in late pregnancy is dependent on intrauterine occupancy.

The 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD-1) enzyme catalyses the conversion of the biologically inert glucocorticoid 11-dehydrocorticosterone to active corticosterone (11-oxoreductase activity) in vivo, and it is dramatically up-regulated in uterine myometrium in the days leading up to parturition. 11beta-HSD-1 is likely to enhance local concentrations of glucocorticoid within the myometrium and thus facilitate uterine contractility, but the stimulus for the increase in myometrial 11beta-HSD-1 is unknown. The objective of the present study was to test whether the induction of myometrial 11beta-HSD-1 is dependent on uterine occupancy or systemic hormonal signals of late pregnancy. This involved use of a unilateral pregnancy (ULP) model in which the gravid and nongravid uterine horns are both exposed to the normal systemic hormonal milieu of pregnancy. Western blot analysis showed that the 11beta-HSD-1 signal was only partially induced in the nongravid horn of ULP rats on Day 22 of pregnancy (term: Day 23). Moreover, artificial distension of this nongravid horn had no effect on myometrial 11beta-HSD-1 immunoreactivity or bioactivity at either Day 16 or Day 22 of pregnancy. Removal of fetuses and placentas on Day 18 reduced myometrial 11beta-HSD-1 bioactivity 4 days later, and this effect was not overcome by artificial maintenance of uterine distension. In contrast, after fetectomy at Day 18 (i.e., removal of the fetus but not placenta), myometrial 11beta-HSD-1 bioactivity was largely maintained on Day 22, indicative of placental support for myometrial 11beta-HSD-1 over this period. In conclusion, our data show that full induction of myometrial 11beta-HSD-1 expression and associated 11-oxoreductase bioactivity late in rat pregnancy is dependent upon intrauterine occupancy. Although the hormonal milieu of late pregnancy appears to stimulate myometrial 11beta-HSD-1 marginally, full induction clearly requires an additional stimulus. Manipulations involving fetectomy and artificial uterine distension indicate that the placenta provides at least part of this stimulus, but uterine stretch does not appear to play a role.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1↗

Prereceptor regulation of glucocorticoid action by 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase: a novel determinant of cell proliferation.

Isozymes of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11beta-HSD) act at a prereceptor level to regulate the tissue-specific availability of active glucocorticoids. To examine the effect of this on cell proliferation and differentiation, we have developed transfectant variants of a rat osteosarcoma cell line that express cDNA for 11beta-HSD1 (ROS 17/2.8beta1) or 11beta-HSD2 (ROS 17/2.8beta2). ROS 17/2.8beta1 showed net conversion of cortisone to cortisol whereas ROS 17/2.8beta2 showed only inactivation of cortisol to cortisone. There was no significant difference in glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression between the different clones. However, in proliferation and differentiation studies, ROS 17/2.8beta2 cells were completely resistant to cortisol. In contrast, ROS 17/2.8beta1 were sensitive to both cortisone and cortisol. Expression of 11beta-HSD1 decreased cell proliferation whereas 11beta-HSD2 increased proliferation. These responses appear to be due to metabolism of endogenous serum glucocorticoids; proliferation of ROS 17/2.8beta1 decreased further with exogenous cortisone or cortisol whereas ROS 17/2.8beta2 were resistant to both compounds. The pro-proliferative effects of 11beta-HSD2 were abrogated by 18beta-glycyrrhetinic acid, an 11beta-HSD inhibitor, and in cells transfected with cDNA encoding inactive 11beta-HSD2. Data indicate that differential regulation of 11beta-HSD1 and 2 (rather than GR expression) is a key determinant of cell proliferation. Dysregulated expression of 11beta-HSD2 may be a novel feature of tumorigenesis.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1↗

Regulation of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzymes in the rat kidney by estradiol.

The 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11betaHSD) type 1 (11betaHSD1) enzyme is an NADP+-dependent oxidoreductase, usually reductase, of major glucocorticoids. The NAD+-dependent type 2 (11betaHSD2) enzyme is an oxidase that inactivates cortisol and corticosterone, conferring extrinsic specificity of the mineralocorticoid receptor for aldosterone. We reported that addition of a reducing agent to renal homogenates results in the monomerization of 11betaHSD2 dimers and a significant increase in NAD+-dependent corticosterone conversion. Estrogenic effects on expression, dimerization, and activity of the kidney 11betaHSD1 and -2 enzymes are described herein. Renal 11betaHSD1 mRNA and protein expressions were decreased to very low levels by estradiol (E2) treatment of both intact and castrated male rats; testosterone had no effect. NADP+-dependent enzymatic activity of renal homogenates from E2-treated rats measured under nonreducing conditions was less than that of homogenates from intact animals. Addition of 10 mM DTT to aliquots from these same homogenates abrogated the difference in NADP+-dependent activity between E2-treated and control rats. In contrast, 11betaHSD2 mRNA and protein expressions were significantly increased by E2 treatment. There was a marked increase in the number of juxtamedullary proximal tubules stained by the antibody against 11betaHSD2 after the administration of E2. Notwithstanding, neither the total corticosterone and 11-dehydrocorticosterone excreted in the urine nor their ratio differed between E2- and vehicle-treated rats. NAD+-dependent enzymatic activity in the absence or presence of a reducing agent demonstrated that the increase in 11betaHSD2 protein was not associated with an increase in in vitro activity unless the dimers were reduced to monomers.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1↗

The stereospecificity of 3 alpha- and 12 alpha-bile salt hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase systems from four microbial sources.

5 beta-Cholanoates, having a hydroxyl group in the 3 alpha and 3 beta and/or 12 alpha and 12 beta configurations, were tested as substrates for two preparation of 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSDH) and two preparations of 12 alpha-HSDH. When the 3-OH group was in the alpha configuration, both 3 alpha-HSDH preparations reacted, but when it was in the beta configuration, neither 3 alpha-HSDH preparations reacted. This also held true for the 12 alpha-HSDH preparations.

3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity of the Y' bile acid binders in rat liver cytosol. Identification, kinetics, and physiologic significance.

Rat Y' bile acid binders (33 kD) have been previously recognized as cytosolic bile acid binding proteins (Sugiyama, Y., T. Yamada, and N. Kaplowitz, 1983, J. Biol. Chem., 258:3602-3607). We have now determined that these Y' binders are 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (3 alpha-HSD), bile acid-metabolizing enzymes. 3 alpha-HSD activity copurified with lithocholic acid-binding activity after sequential gel filtration, chromatofocusing, and affinity chromatography. Three peaks of 3 alpha-HSD activity (I, II, III) were observed in chromatofocusing and all were identified on Western blot by a specific Y' binder antiserum. 3 alpha-HSD-I, the predominant form, was purified and functioned best as a reductase at pH 7.0 with a marked preference for NADPH. Michaelis constant values for mono- and dihydroxy bile acids were 1-2 microM, and cholic acid competitively inhibited the reduction of 3-oxo-cholic acid. Under normal redox conditions, partially purified 3 alpha-HSD-I and freshly isolated hepatocytes catalyzed the rapid reduction of 3-oxo-cholic to cholic acid without formation of isocholic acid, whereas the reverse reaction was negligible. The Y' bile acid binders are therefore 3 alpha-HSD, which preferentially and stereospecifically catalyze the reduction of 3-oxo-bile acids to 3 alpha-hydroxy bile acids.

3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Reduced activity of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in patients with cholestasis.

Enhanced renal sodium retention and potassium loss in patients with cirrhosis is due to activation of mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs). Increased aldosterone concentrations, however, do not entirely explain the activation of MR in cirrhosis. Here, we hypothesize that cortisol activates MRs in patients with cholestasis. We present evidence that access of cortisol to MRs is a result of bile acid-mediated inhibition of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11 beta-HSD2), an MR-protecting enzyme that converts cortisol to cortisone. Twelve patients with biliary obstruction and high plasma bile acid levels were studied before and after removal of the obstruction. The urinary ratio of (tetrahydrocortisol + 5 alpha-tetrahydrocortisol)/tetrahydrocortisone, a measure of 11 beta-HSD2 activity, decreased from a median of 1.91 during biliary obstruction to 0.78 at 4 and 8 weeks after removal of the obstruction and normalization of plasma bile acid concentrations. In order to demonstrate that bile acids facilitate access of cortisol to the MR by inhibiting 11 beta-HSD2, an MR translocation assay was performed in HEK-293 cells transfected with human 11 beta-HSD2 and tagged MR. Increasing concentrations of chenodeoxycholic acid led to cortisol-induced nuclear translocation of MR. In conclusion, 11 beta-HSD2 activity is reduced in cholestasis, which results in MR activation by cortisol.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2↗

Localization of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase types 1 and 2 in the male reproductive tract.

The action of glucocorticoids in target tissues is dependent on the local expression of glucocorticoid receptors and two 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11beta-HSD) enzymes, 11beta-HSD1 and 11beta-HSD2, which interconvert active and inactive glucocorticoids. This study examined expression of the 11beta-HSD enzymes in the male reproductive tract of the adult rat. 11beta-HSD1 was immunolocalized to the apical region of principal epithelial cells of the caput epididymis, with the less numerous clear cells devoid of signal. Epididymal 11beta-HSD1 expression was confirmed by Western blot analysis, with immunoreactive species identified at 34 kDa (the expected size for 11beta-HSD1) and at approximately 48 kDa. 11beta-HSD bioactivity was readily detectable in the epididymis, with 11-oxoreductase activity clearly the favored reaction (as observed in liver), consistent with 11beta-HSD1 expression. The epithelium of the vas deferens, seminal vesicle, and penile urethra were also immunopositive for 11beta-HSD1, as were smooth muscle cells of the vas deferens and penile blood vessels. 11beta-HSD2 was also immunolocalized to the epididymal epithelium, but its distribution was complementary to that of 11beta-HSD1 (i.e. clear cells showing intense 11beta-HSD2 staining but principal cells devoid of signal). 11beta-HSD2 was also present in the corpora cavernosa of the penis but not in other tissues. In conclusion, the differential expression of 11beta-HSD1 and 11beta-HSD2 throughout the male reproductive tract suggests that these enzymes locally modulate glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid actions, particularly in the epididymis and penile vasculature.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2↗

Characteristics of a highly labile human type 5 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase.

17Beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (17betaHSDs) play an essential role in the formation of active intracellular sex steroids. Six types of 17betaHSD have been described to date, which only share approximately 20% homology. Human type 5 17betaHSD complementary DNA is unique among the 17betaHSDs because it belongs to the aldo-keto reductase family, whereas the others are members of the short chain alcohol dehydrogenases. The characteristics of human type 5 17betaHSD were investigated in human embryonic (293) cells stably transfected with human and mouse type 5 17betaHSD, as well as human type 3 3alphaHSD. Using intact transfected cells, type 5 17betaHSD shows a substrate specificity pattern comparable to those of human type 3 17betaHSD and mouse type 5 17betaHSD. These enzymes catalyze more efficiently the transformation of androstenedione (4-dione) to testosterone, whereas the transformation of dihydrotestosterone to 5alpha-androstane-3alpha,17beta-diol is much lower. In contrast, type 3 3alphaHSD catalyzes more efficiently the transformation of dihydrotestosterone to 5alpha-androstane-3alpha,17beta-diol, whereas the transformation of 4-dione to testosterone represents only 7% of the 3alphaHSD activity. However, upon homogenization, human type 5 17betaHSD activity decreases to approximately 10% of the activity in intact cells and remains stable at this level together with the 3alphaHSD activity. Under the same conditions, however, the mouse enzyme is not altered by homogenization. Indeed, using purified human 17betaHSD overexpressed in Escherichia coli, we could confirm that a much greater amount of protein is required to produce activity similar to the enzymatic activity measured in intact transfected cells. The present data provide the answer to the question of why previous researchers could hardly detect type 5 17betaHSD activity. Indeed, all previous publications used cell or tissue homogenates or purified enzymes. Under such conditions, only the low level, but stable, 3alphaHSD and 17betaHSD activities could be measured, whereas the high level, but highly unstable, 17betaHSD activity could not be measured. As type 5 17betaHSD shares 84%, 86%, and 88% amino acid identity with types 1 and 3 3alphaHSD and 20alphaHSDs, respectively, Northern blot analysis used in previous studies could not provide unequivocal information. In this report, we used a more specific ribonuclease protection assay and could thus show that human type 5 17betaHSD is expressed in the liver, adrenal, and prostate; in prostatic cancer cell lines DU-145 and LNCaP; as well as in bone carcinoma (MG-63) cells. By analogy with type 3 17betaHSD, which is responsible for the formation of androgens in the testis, the expression of type 5 17betaHSD in the prostate and bone cells suggests that this enzyme is involved in the formation of active intracellular androgens in these tissues.

17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Localization and developmental regulation of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-1 and -2 in the baboon syncytiotrophoblast.

We previously showed that the messenger RNA and protein levels of the 11ss-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11betaHSD) enzymes catalyzing glucocorticoid reduction (11betaHSD-1) and oxidation (11betaHSD-2) increased with advancing baboon gestation and concluded that the estrogen-regulated change in placental cortisol metabolism from reduction at midgestation to oxidation near term is not simply the result of a change in the relative concentrations of these two enzymes. Therefore, in the current study we determined whether 11betaHSD-1 and -2 are located in different regions of the baboon and human syncytiotrophoblast and whether there is a developmental change in their localization with advancing baboon gestation. Western blot analyses, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry indicated that 11betaHSD-1 expression was abundant in microvillus membranes (MVM) juxta the maternal circulation, and their levels are significantly lower, but detectable, in more internal regions of the syncytiotrophoblast, including membranes contiguous with the basal membrane (BM(m)) facing the fetal vasculature in both the human and baboon. In contrast, in both species 11betaHSD-2 expression was limited in the MVM and extensive throughout the remainder of the syncytiotrophoblast, including the BM(m). In the baboon, the relative mean (+/-SE) concentrations (arbitrary densitometric units per microgram protein) of 11betaHSD-1 in the MVM were similar at mid (i.e. day 100; 38,859 +/- 3,484; n = 3) and late (i.e. day 180; 43,561 +/- 1,784; n = 3) gestation (term = day 184) and exceeded (P < 0.01) respective values for 11betaHSD-2 by approximately 16-fold. In contrast, levels of 11betaHSD-1 in the BM(m) declined (P < 0.05) by approximately 50% between mid (7,099 +/- 758) and late (4,013 +/- 738) gestation, whereas levels of 11betaHSD-2 in this fraction increased. Thus, the ratio of 11betaHSD-2 to 11betaHSD-1 in the BM(m) at midgestation (1.22 +/- 0.10) was increased (P < 0.05) 2-fold in late gestation (2.66 +/- 0.05). Collectively, these findings indicate that the 11betaHSD-1 and -2 enzymes are localized to different membrane fractions of the baboon and human placental syncytiotrophoblast. Moreover, we propose that the developmental increase in the ratio of 11betaHSD-2 to 11betaHSD-1 in membranes facing fetal blood near term is consistent with and perhaps the subcellular mechanism responsible for the previously demonstrated switch in transplacental glucocorticoid metabolism from reduction at midgestation to oxidation late in gestation and appears to be responsible for the activation/maturation of the fetal pituitary-adrenocortical axis.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1↗

Role of local 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 expression in determining the phenotype of adrenal adenomas.

It is not understood why some adrenal adenomas are nonfunctional and others with similar histopathology cause preclinical or overt Cushing's syndrome. Two isozymes of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, types 1 and 2 (HSD11B1 and HSD11B2), are known to modulate glucocorticoid levels in other tissues and might influence circulating levels of active and inactive glucocorticoids if they were expressed in adrenal adenomas. We determined levels of expression of these isozymes in normal adrenals and 61 adrenal adenomas by quantitative competitive RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. There were no differences in HSD11B1 mRNA levels among adrenal tumor groups. HSD11B2 mRNA levels were high in nonfunctioning adenomas and preclinical Cushing's adenomas compared with levels in control adrenals or in adenomas causing overt Cushing's syndrome. HSD11B2 immunoreactivity was not detected in control adrenals, but was observed in more than half of these tumors. When nonfunctioning adenomas and those causing preclinical and overt Cushing's syndrome were considered as a single group, HSD11B2 mRNA levels were strongly correlated with the ratio of plasma cortisone to cortisol, and a simple model incorporating adrenal HSD11B2 expression and tumor size as variables could predict more than 50% of the interindividual variation in plasma cortisol levels (r(2) = 0.54; P < 0.0001). Adrenal HSD11B2 may regulate levels of active and inactive glucocorticoids in the systemic circulation under these conditions, presumably by acting in an autocrine or paracrine manner. Nonfunctioning adenomas and those causing preclinical and overt Cushing's syndrome may represent a continuum with clinical manifestations depending mainly on tumor size and HSD11B2 expression levels.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2↗

11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase types 1 and 2: an important pharmacokinetic determinant for the activity of synthetic mineralo- and glucocorticoids.

The 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11beta-HSD) system plays a pivotal role in glucocorticoid (GC) and mineralocorticoid (MC) action. Although 11beta-HSD activities are important determinants for the efficacy of synthetic MCs and GCs, corresponding pharmacokinetic data are scanty. Therefore, we characterized 11beta-HSD profiles for a wide range of steroids often used in clinical practice. 11beta-HSD1 and 11beta-HSD2 were selectively examined in 1) human liver and kidney cortex microsomes, and 2) Chinese hamster ovarian cells stably transfected with 11beta-HSD1 or 11beta-HSD2 expression vectors. Both systems produced concordant evidence for the following conclusions. Oxidation of steroids by 11beta-HSD2 is diminished if they are fluorinated in position 6alpha or 9alpha (e.g. in dexamethasone) or methylated at 2alpha or 6alpha (in methylprednisolone) or 16alpha or 16beta, by a methylene group at 16 (in prednylidene), methyloxazoline at 16, 17 (in deflazacort), or a 2-chlor configuration. Whereas the methyl groups also decrease reductase activity (steric effects), fluorination increases reductase activity (negative inductive effect), leading to a shift to reductase activity. This may explain the strong MC activity of 9alpha-fluorocortisol and should be considered in GC therapy directed to 11beta-HSD2-expressing tissues (kidney, colon, and placentofetal unit). 11beta-HSD2 oxidation of prednisolone is more effective than that of cortisol, explaining the reduced MC activity of prednisolone compared with cortisol. Reduction by 11beta-HSD1 is diminished by 16alpha-methyl, 16beta-methyl, 2alpha-methyl, and 2-chlor substitution, whereas it is increased by the Delta(1)-dehydro configuration in prednisone, resulting in higher hepatic first pass activation of prednisone compared with cortisone. To characterize a GC or a MC as substrate for the different 11betaHSDs may be essential for an optimized steroid therapy.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1↗

Type 2 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase messenger ribonucleic acid and activity in human placenta and fetal membranes: its relationship to birth weight and putative role in fetal adrenal steroidogenesis.

Two isoforms of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11 beta HSD) have been described which catalyze the interconversion of cortisol (F) to cortisone (E). 11 beta HSD activity has previously been reported in placenta and fetal membranes, where its role may be to protect the developing fetus from glucocorticoid excess. Furthermore, in the rat, an association between placental 11 beta HSD activity and the subsequent development of hypertension in the offspring has been reported. We have characterized the isoforms of 11 beta HSD in human fetal membranes and dissected placental tissue at term and investigated the relationship between placental 11 beta HSD activity and fetal and placental weights. 11 beta HSD activity studies in the presence of 0.1 mumol/L F and NAD (indicative of type 2 isoform activity) revealed high levels of activity in trophoblast dissected free of vessels (561 +/- 87 pmol E/h.mg protein; n = 4) > undissected placenta > cotyledenous vessels dissected away from trophoblast > placental and reflected amnion. In contrast, in the presence of 2.5 mumol/L F and NADP (indicative of type 1 isoform activity), only decidua and chorion demonstrated significant levels of 11 beta HSD activity. Type 1 11 beta HSD activity in chorion was probably due to decidual contamination, in that it was absent in decidua-free fused chorion obtained from a twin pregnancy. In keeping with these data, type 1 11 beta HSD messenger ribonucleic acid (1.5 kilobases) was detected in decidua, but in no other tissue, and high levels of type 2 11 beta HSD messenger ribonucleic acid (1.9 kilobases) were found in undissected placenta and trophoblast. In 27 term placentas, 11 beta HSD activity varied from 194-448 pmol E/h.mg protein. There was a weak, but significant, positive correlation between term placental 11 beta HSD activity and fetal weight (r = 0.408; P = 0.034), but no correlation with placental weight. Thus, in man, the reported association of a small fetus and a large placenta predisposing to adult hypertension cannot be explained on the basis of defective 11 beta HSD activity. However, the placenta offers an immense reservoir for F clearance (1.73-7.95 mumol/min.placenta) and may be a principal factor driving fetal ACTH secretion and, hence, fetal adrenal steroidogenesis.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Changes in the activities of hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases in mouse oocytes during meiotic maturation.

The activities of hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (HSDs) were histochemically demonstrated in mouse oocytes in the process of maturation in vivo and in vitro, and the changes in steroid metabolism during meiotic maturation and also the relationship between nuclear maturation and changes in steroid metabolism in the cytoplasm were examined. In mouse oocytes 0 h after human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) injection, the activities of Delta(5)-3beta-HSD (with DHA, pregnenolone and 17alpha-hydroxypregnenolone as the substrates), 17beta-HSD (estradiol-17beta and testosterone) and 20beta-HSD (17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone and 20beta-hydroxyprogesterone) were observed in 87 to 97% of those, but that of 20alpha-HSD (20alpha-hydroxyprogesterone) was not. The percentages of oocytes showing the activities of Delta(5)-3beta-HSD, 17beta-HSD and 20beta-HSD did not change during maturation in vivo or in vitro. Oocytes with 20alpha-HSD activity appeared 4 h after the hCG injection or after culture for 4 h and the rates of those reached 92 and 100%, respectively, 14 h after the hCG injection or after culture for 14 h. In oocytes cultured for 8 h with olomoucine or 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, nuclei were almost all in the germinal vesicle stage, and activity of 20alpha-HSD was observed in 84 and 89% of the treated oocytes, respectively. On the other hand, 81% of control oocytes showed 20alpha-HSD activity, with no significant difference from the rate for the olomoucine- or 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine-treated oocytes. The present findings suggested that the metabolic abilities of progesterone, 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, 17alpha,20beta-dihydroxyprogesterone, 20beta-hydroxyprogesterone, androgen and estradiol-17beta in the cytoplasm are constantly present in mouse oocytes in the process of maturation in vivo and in vitro. The results also suggested that the metabolic ability of 20alpha-hydroxyprogesterone in mouse oocytes increases during maturation, but the change in the metabolic ability of such a steroid is not related to nuclear maturation.

17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Ovarian modulators of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11betaHSD) activity in follicular fluid from gonadotrophin-stimulated assisted conception cycles.

In the ovary, cortisol-cortisone interconversion is catalysed by isoforms of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11betaHSD). The objective of this study was to establish whether human follicular fluid (hFF), obtained after controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, contains paracrine modulators of 11betaHSD activity. Of 274 hFF samples tested for effects in rat kidney homogenates, 206 hFF samples significantly inhibited NADP(+)-dependent oxidation of cortisol within 1 h (by 11-67% of control 11betaHSD activity), whereas 42 hFF samples significantly stimulated 11betaHSD activity (16-210% increase relative to control). Although charcoal-stripping of hFF prevented the inhibition and potentiated the stimulation of NADP(+)-dependent cortisol oxidation in a renal homogenate, effects of individual hFF samples on NADP(+)-dependent cortisol oxidation were independent of intrafollicular progesterone concentrations. Hydrophilic fractions of hFF samples, isolated by C18 column chromatography, stimulated both the NADP(+)-dependent oxidation of cortisol (by 55+/-5%, n=98) and the NADPH-dependent reduction of cortisone (by 86+/-22%, n= 5). In contrast, the hydrophobic fractions of hFF (eluted at 65-85% methanol) inhibited both NADP(+)-dependent 11beta-dehydrogenase and NADPH-dependent 11-ketosteroid reductase activities (by 63+/-2% and 74+/-4%, respectively). None of the C18 column fractions of 50 hFF samples had any significant effect on NAD(+)-dependent 11beta-dehydrogenase activities. The hydrophobic inhibitors of NADP(H)-dependent cortisol-cortisone metabolism did not co-elute with several candidate compounds (prostaglandins E(2) and F(2alpha), cortisol, cortisone, oestradiol, testosterone, progesterone, pregnenolone or cholesterol). Hence, hFF aspirated from women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for assisted conception contains both hydrophilic stimuli and hydrophobic inhibitors of glucocorticoid metabolism which appear to be selective for the NADP(H)-dependent, type 1 isoform of 11betaHSD.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2↗

11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and the pre-receptor regulation of corticosteroid hormone action.

Two isozymes of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11beta-HSD1 and 11beta-HSD2) catalyse the interconversion of hormonally active cortisol and inactive cortisone. The enzyme evolved from a metabolic pathway to a novel mechanism underpinning human disease with the elucidation of the role of the type 2 or 'kidney' isozyme and an inherited form of hypertension, 'apparent mineralocorticoid excess'. 'Cushing's disease of the kidney' arises because of a failure of 11beta-HSD2 to inactivate cortisol to cortisone resulting in cortisol-induced mineralocorticoid excess.Conversely, 11beta-HSD1 has been linked to human obesity and insulin resistance, but also to other diseases in which glucocorticoids have historically been implicated (osteoporosis, glaucoma). Here, the activation of cortisol from cortisone facilitates glucocorticoid hormone action at an autocrine level. The molecular basis for the putative human 11beta-HSD1 'knockout'--'cortisone reductase deficiency'--has recently been described, an observation that also answers a long standing conundrum relating to the set-point of 11beta-HSD1 activity. In each case, these clinical studies have been underpinned by studies in vitro and the manipulation of enzyme expression in vivo using recombinant mouse models.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1↗