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11 beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 activity and gene expression in human adipose stromal cells: effect on aromatase activity.

The biological activity of glucocorticoids in target tissues can be influenced by locally produced 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11 beta-HSD), the enzyme responsible for the interconversion of cortisol and its inactive metabolite cortisone. In human adipose stromal cells, glucocorticoids are potent stimulators of the conversion of androgens to estrogens (aromatase activity). The present study was designed to determine whether 11 beta-HSD activity was present in human adipose stromal cells, and if changes in the activity of this enzyme could influence aromatase activity. 11 beta-HSD activity was determined by a radiometric conversion assay in breast adipose tissue from six patients. It was found that both dehydrogenase (cortisol to cortisone) and reductase (cortisone to cortisol) activities were present in all six subjects, and the reductase activity was always predominant. Carbenoxolone (CBX), a potent inhibitor of 11 beta-HSD, added to the culture medium at 50 and 200 microM, resulted in 39 +/- 4% and 85 +/- 1% inhibition, respectively, of both reductase and dehydrogenase activity of 11 beta-HSD. To determine whether alterations in 11 beta-HSD could influence aromatase activity, the effect of CBX (200 microM) on cortisol- and cortisone-induced changes in the conversion of androstenedione to estrone was examined. CBX prevented the stimulatory effect of cortisone and minimally potentiated the stimulatory effect of cortisol on aromatase activity, reflecting an inhibition of the local activation of cortisone and the local metabolism of cortisol, respectively. In order to determine whether the product of the 11 beta-HSD 1 gene was responsible for the observed 11 beta-HSD activity, total RNA extracts from these cells were subjected to Northern blot analysis using human 11 beta-HSD 1 cDNA as the probe. A single 1.8 11 beta-HSD 1 transcript was detected, and its abundance was reduced by CBX. No 11 beta-HSD 2 mRNA was detected. The present results demonstrate that the 11 beta-HSD 1 gene is expressed and functional in human breast adipose stromal cells and that changes in 11 beta-HSD 1 activity result in alterations in aromatase activity.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Long-term corticosteroid treatment but not chronic stress affects 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type I activity in rat brain and peripheral tissues.

Long-term treatment (21 days) of male rats with corticosterone in the drinking water caused a significant increase in the activity of the NADP-dependent form of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11-HSD1) in the pituitary, thymus, and spleen, (marginally in the hippocampus, amygdala and lymph nodes), without having any effect in a number of other central and peripheral tissues. In contrast, repeated restraint stress, although increasing plasma corticosterone to the same level as that observed after its administration, failed to change the activity of this key regulatory enzyme, which allows aldosterone to exert its specific effects in the presence of a large excess of corticosterone. This resistance to elevation in 11-HSD activity was also observed in the thymuses of subordinate rats during social stratification in a visible burrow system. In both cases, the circulating levels of corticosterone were much higher in stressed rats than in control animals. Factors which might account for these differences in response are discussed and compared with the situation in intact cells where, unlike in tissue homogenates, the reduction of 11-dehydrocorticosterone to corticosterone (reductase activity) appears to predominate.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Metyrapone is a competitive inhibitor of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 reductase.

The present study was designed to examine the effects of metyrapone in vitro on the activities of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11beta-HSD) types 1 and 2, the two intracellular enzymes responsible for the metabolism of glucocorticoids. Enzymatic activities of 11beta-HSD1 and 2 were determined by a radiometric conversion assay using cortisol and cortisone as physiological substrates. The enzyme activity assays were carried out in the absence and presence of metyrapone using sheep liver and kidney microsomes as the source of 11beta-HSD1 and 2, respectively. It was found that metyrapone inhibited the reductase activity of 11beta-HSD1 in a dose-dependent manner with an apparent Ki of 30 microM. Moreover, this inhibition was competitive because the Km for cortisone was increased in the presence of metyrapone. In contrast, metyrapone showed biphasic effects on the dehydrogenase activity of 11beta-HSD1, in that it increased the activity at concentrations lower than 100 microM but decreased it at higher concentrations. However, under similar conditions, metyrapone had little effect on the unidirectional dehydrogenase activity of 11beta-HSD2. In conclusion, the present results provide the first direct evidence that metyrapone is a competitive inhibitor of 11beta-HSD1 reductase, and that it also exerts biphasic effects on 11beta-HSD1 dehydrogenase activity. These findings indicate that metyrapone influences peripheral glucocorticoid metabolism through its regulation of 11beta-HSD1 activity, in addition to its classic inhibitory effects on adrenal steroid biosynthesis. It is therefore imperative that this novel extra-adrenal effect of metyrapone be considered when this drug is used in the diagnosis and treatment of adrenocorticoid-related diseases.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Lack of effect of nicotine or ethanol on the activity of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2.

Low birth weight in combination with a large placenta predicts human hypertension. The pathophysiological link remains unclear, but glucocorticoid excess impairs fetal growth and leads to offspring hypertension. A key controller of fetal glucocorticoid exposure and local tissue availability is 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11beta-HSD2). The activity of placental 11beta-HSD2 correlates with fetal growth in animals and humans. Ethanol abuse and smoking are known to retard fetal growth which may relate to altered glucocorticoid action or dynamics. This study has examined whether nicotine or ethanol modulate glucocorticoid action in the placenta or fetus by inhibiting 11beta-HSD2, using clonal cell cultures, freshly isolated dually perfused intact human placentas and placentas from in vivo treated rats. No significant effect on the activity of 11beta-HSD2 by pathophysiologically relevant nicotine or ethanol concentrations was observed. The mechanism of action of nicotine and ethanol relevant to reduced fetal growth requires further study.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

11Beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 in adipocytes: expression is differentiation-dependent and hormonally regulated.

11Beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD-1) catalyses the reversible metabolism of physiological glucocorticoids (cortisol, corticosterone) to inactive metabolites (cortisone, 11-dehydrocorticosterone), thus regulating glucocorticoid access to receptors. 11Beta-HSD-1 expression is regulated during development and by hormones in a tissue specific manner. The enzyme is highly expressed in liver, where it may influence glucocorticoid action on fuel metabolism, processes also important in adipose tissue. Here we show that 11beta-HSD-1 is expressed in white adipose tissue, in both the adipocyte and stromal/vascular compartments, and in the adipocyte cell lines 3T3-F442A and 3T3-L1. In these cells, 11beta-HSD-1 expression is induced upon differentiation into adipocytes and is characteristic of a 'late differentiation' gene, with maximal expression 6-8 days after confluence is reached. In intact 3T3-F442A adipocytes the enzyme direction is predominantly 11beta-reduction, activating inert glucocorticoids. The expression of 11beta-HSD-1 mRNA is altered in fully differentiated 3T3-F442A adipocytes treated with insulin, dexamethasone or a combination of the hormones, in an identical manner to glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) mRNA (encoding a key enzyme in triglyceride synthesis and a well-characterised marker of adipocyte differentiation). The demonstration of 11beta-HSD-1 expression in adipocytes and its predominant reductase activity in intact 3T3-F442A adipocytes suggests that 11beta-HSD-1 may play an important role in potentiating glucocorticoid action in these cells. 3T3-F442A and 3T3-L1 represent useful model systems in which to examine the factors which regulate 11beta-HSD-1 gene expression and the role of 11beta-HSD-1 in modulating glucocorticoid action in adipose tissue.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

The role of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in steroid hormone specificity.

11Beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11beta-HSD) is thought to confer aldosterone specificity to mineralocorticoid target cells by protecting the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) from occupancy by endogenous glucocorticoids. In aldosterone target cells the type 2 11beta-HSD is present, which, in contrast to the type 1 11beta-HSD, has very high affinity for its substrate, is unidirectional and prefers NAD as cofactor. cDNAs encoding 11beta-HSD2 have been recently cloned from different species, and the cell-specific expression of its mRNA and protein were determined. 11Beta-HSD2 is expressed in every aldosterone target tissue. Northern analysis revealed that the rabbit 11beta-HSD2 is expressed at high levels in the renal collecting duct and at much lower levels in the colon. RT-PCR experiments demonstrated that 11beta-HSD2 mRNA is present only in aldosterone target cells within the kidney. We determined the subcellular localization of the rabbit 11beta-HSD2 using a chimera encoding 11beta-HSD2 and the green fluorescent protein (GFP). This construct was stably transfected into CHO and MDCK cells. The expressed 11beta-HSD2/GFP protein retained high enzymatic activity, and its characteristics were undistinguishable from those of the native enzyme. The intracellular localization of this protein was determined by fluorescence microscopy. 11Beta-HSD2-associated fluorescence was observed as a reticular network over the cytoplasm whereas the plasma membrane and the nucleus were negative, suggesting endoplasmic reticulum (ER) localization. Co-staining with markers for ER proteins, the Golgi membrane, mitochondria and nucleus confirmed that 11beta-HSD2 is localized exclusively to the ER. To determine what structural motifs are responsible for the ER localization, we generated deletion mutants missing the C-terminal 42 and 118 amino acids, and fused them to GFP. Similarly as with the intact 11beta-HSD2, these mutants localized exclusively to the ER. Both C-terminal deletion mutants completely lost dehydrogenase activity, independently whether activity was determined in intact cells or homogenates. These results indicate that 11beta-HSD2 has a novel ER retrieval signal which is not localized to the C-terminal region. In addition, the C-terminal 118 amino acids are essential for NAD-dependent 11beta-HSD activity.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Expression of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 in an ACTH-producing small cell lung cancer.

Non-pituitary tumors that produce adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) exhibit resistance to the normal feedback effects of glucocorticoids on proopiomelanocortin (POMC) gene expression. This glucocorticoid resistance is typically complete, although some tumors show only relative glucocorticoid resistance in the clinical setting. The molecular mechanisms responsible for these clinical pathophysiologic observations are unknown, but might include glucocorticoid receptor defects or aberrant expression of enzymes or transporters that exclude glucocorticoids from access to their intracellular receptors. We examined whether ACTH-producing non-pituitary tumor cells might express 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11beta-HSD), the principal 'gatekeeper' enzyme known to metabolize glucocorticoids. 11Beta-HSD mRNA and enzyme activity were assessed in DMS-79 cells, a line derived from an ACTH-producing small cell lung cancer. RT-PCR studies showed expression of mRNA encoding 11beta-HSD2 but not 11beta-HSD1 in DMS-79 cells. Control human fibroblasts expressed predominantly 11beta-HSD1 but also had detectable 11beta-HSD2 mRNA, while HepG2 hepatoma cells also expressed only 11beta-HSD2 mRNA. Whole cell assays in DMS-79 cells revealed 11beta-HSD activity with a Km for cortisol of 26.1 +/- 9.0 nM and Vmax of 57.0 +/- 5.9 pmol/h/mg protein. HepG2 cells expressed a similar high affinity enzyme activity, while control fibroblasts expressed 11beta-HSD activity with a Km for cortisol of 652 nM. Conversion of cortisol to cortisone in DMS-79 cells was inhibited to 7% of baseline by addition of 10 microM glycyrrhetinic acid. Dexamethasone (20 nM) was converted to a single product in DMS-79 cells at a rate of 17.2 pmol/h/mg protein; this activity was also inhibited by glycyrrhetinic acid. We conclude that DMS-79 cells express 11beta-HSD2. While DMS-79 cells harbor additional defects in glucocorticoid signaling, these data suggest that expression of 11beta-HSD2 might contribute to the development of the glucocorticoid-resistant phenotype of some ACTH-producing tumors.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Tissue- and temporal-specific regulation of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 by glucocorticoids in vivo.

11Beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD-1) catalyses the interconversion of active corticosterone and inert 11-dehydrocorticosterone. Short-term glucocorticoid excess upregulates 11beta-HSD-1 in liver and hippocampus leading to suggestions that 11beta-HSD-1 ameliorates the deleterious effects of glucocorticoid excess by its 11beta-dehydrogenase activity. However the predominant activity of 11beta-HSD-1 in vivo is 11beta-reduction, thus generating active glucocorticoid. We have re-examined the time-course of glucocorticoid regulation of 11beta-HSD-1 in the liver, hippocampus and kidney of adult male rats in vivo. Sham operation markedly reduced 11beta-HSD-1 mRNA expression in all tissues, and reduced 11beta-HSD bioactivity in liver and hippocampus when compared to untouched controls. Adrenalectomy reduced 11beta-HSD-1 expression in all tissues in the short-term (7 days), followed by subsequent recovery of enzyme activity by 21 days in liver and hippocampus. Dexamethasone replacement of adrenalectomised rats attenuated the initial decrease in hepatic 11beta-HSD-1 activity, but by 21 days dexamethasone reduced activity compared to control levels. Thus glucocorticoids regulate 11beta-HSD-1 in a complex tissue- and temporal-specific manner. This pattern of regulation suggests glucocorticoids repress 11beta-HSD-1 at least in the liver, a pattern of regulation more consistent with the evidence that 11beta-HSD-1 is an 11beta-reductase in vivo. Operational stress per se down-regulates 11beta-HSD-1 which has implications for interpretation and design of in vivo studies of 11beta-HSD-1.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Molecular determinants of steroid recognition and catalysis in aldo-keto reductases. Lessons from 3alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase.

Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases (HSDs) regulate the occupancy of steroid hormone receptors by converting active steroid hormones into their cognate inactive metabolites. HSDs belong to either the Short-chain Dehydrogenase/Reductases (SDRs) or the Aldo-Keto Reductases (AKRs). The AKRs include virtually all mammalian 3alpha-HSDs, Type 5 17beta-HSD, ovarian 20alpha-HSDs as well as the steroid 5beta-reductases. Selective inhibitors of 3alpha-HSD isoforms could control occupancy of the androgen and GABA(A) receptors, while broader based AKR inhibitors targeting 3alpha-HSD, 20alpha-HSD and prostaglandin F2alpha synthase could maintain pregnancy. We have determined three X-ray crystal structures of rat liver 3alpha-HSD, a representative AKR. These structures are of the apoenzyme (E), the binary-complex (E.NADP-), and the ternary complex (E.NADP+.testosterone). These structures are being used with site-directed mutagenesis to define the molecular determinants of steroid recognition and catalysis as a first step in rational inhibitor design. A conserved catalytic tetrad (Tyr55, Lys84, His117 and Asp50) participates in a 'proton-relay' in which Tyr55 acts as general acid/base catalyst. Its bifunctionality relies on contributions from His117 and Lys84 which alter the pKb and pKa, respectively of this residue. Point mutation of the tetrad results in different enzymatic activities. H117E mutants display 5beta-reductase activity while Y55F and Y55S mutants retain quinone reductase activity. Our results suggest that different transition states are involved in these reaction mechanisms. The ternary complex structure shows that the mature steroid binding pocket is comprised of ten residues recruited from five loops, and that there is significant movement of a C-terminal loop on binding ligand. Mutagenesis of pocket tryptophans shows that steroid substrates and classes of nonsteroidal inhibitors exhibit different binding modes which may reflect ligand-induced loop movement. Exploitation of these findings using steroidal and nonsteroidal mechanism based inactivators may lead to selective and broad based AKR inhibitors.

3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

The type I and type II 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzymes.

Local tissue concentrations of glucocorticoids are modulated by the enzyme 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase which interconverts cortisol and the inactive glucocorticoid cortisone in man, and corticosterone and 11-dehydrocorticosterone in rodents. The type I isoform (11beta-HSD1) is a bidirectional enzyme but acts predominantly as a oxidoreductase to form the active glucocorticoids cortisol or corticosterone, while the type II enzyme (11beta-HSD2) acts unidirectionally producing inactive 11-keto metabolites. There are no known clinical conditions associated with 11beta-HSD1 deficiency, but gene deletion experiments in the mouse indicate that this enzyme is important both for the maintenance of normal serum glucocorticoid levels, and in the activation of key hepatic gluconeogenic enzymes. Other important sites of action include omental fat, the ovary, brain and vasculature. Congenital defects in the 11beta-HSD2 enzyme have been shown to account for the syndrome of apparent mineralocorticoid excess (AME), a low renin severe form of hypertension resulting from the overstimulation of the non-selective mineralocorticoid receptor by cortisol in the distal tubule of the kidney. Inactivation of the 11beta-HSD2 gene in mice results in a phenotype with similar features to AME. In addition, these mice show high neonatal mortality associated with marked colonic distention, and remarkable hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the distal tubule epithelia. 11Beta-HSD2 also plays an important role in decreasing the exposure of the fetus to the high levels of maternal glucocorticoids. Recent work suggests a role for 11beta-HSD2 in non-mineralocorticoid target tissues where it would modulate glucocorticoid access to the glucocorticoid receptor, in invasive breast cancer and as a mechanism providing ligand for the putative 11-dehydrocorticosterone receptor. While previous homologies between members of the SCAD superfamily have been of the order of 20-30% phylogenetic analysis of a new branch of retinol dehydrogenases indicates identities of > 60% and overlapping substrate specificities. The availability of crystal structures of family members has allowed the mapping of conserved 11beta-HSD domains A-D to a cleft in the protein structure (cofactor binding domain), two parallel beta-sheets, and an alpha-helix (active site), respectively.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Regulation of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 by steroid hormones and epidermal growth factor in the Ishikawa human endometrial cell line.

The biological actions of glucocorticoids in target organs are determined at least in part by the local expression of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11beta-HSD2), which is responsible for the inactivation of glucocorticoids. The human endometrium is a glucocorticoid target tissue, and is known to express 11beta-HSD2. However, little is known about the function and regulation of 11beta-HSD2 in the endometrium, probably owing to the lack of in vitro model systems (i.e., cell lines) that express 11beta-HSD2. Here, we describe the characterization of 11beta-HSD expression in Ishikawa cells, a well-differentiated human endometrial adenocarcinoma cell line. The 11beta-HSD activity in intact Ishikawa cells was characteristic of 11beta-HSD2 in that it only possessed dehydrogenase activity (cortisol to cortisone) and had a high affinity for cortisol (apparent Km of 34 nM). The exclusive expression of 11beta-HSD2 in Ishikawa cells was confirmed by RT-PCR which demonstrated the presence of the mRNA for 11beta-HSD2 but not that for 11beta-HSD1. To investigate the regulation of 11beta-HSD2 in Ishikawa cells, we treated these cells with sex steroid hormones, glucocorticoids and epidermal growth factor (EGF), and determined the effects of these treatments on 11beta-HSD2 activity by an established intact cell radiometric conversion assay. Treatment with estradiol-17beta (E2, 10 nM) and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA, 100 nM) produced a classic sex steroid effect; the greatest increase (330% of the control) in the level of 11beta-HSD2 activity was caused by the combined treatment, followed by MPA (240% of the control) with E2 being the least effective (156% of the control). The stimulatory effect of E2 was blocked by the pure antiestrogen ICI 182,780. The synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone (Dex) increased 11beta-HSD2 activity in a time- and dose-dependent manner (200% of the control; 100 nM for 48 h), and the endogenous glucocorticoid cortisol was equally effective in this regard. The antiprogesterone-antiglucocorticoid RU486 did not counteract with MPA or Dex but rather acted as an agonist; increased 11beta-HSD2 activity (160% of the control; 100 nM for 72 h). By contrast, treatment with EGF caused a dose- and time-dependent decrease in 11beta-HSD2 activity (60% of the control; 10 ng/ml for 72 h). In addition, semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that there were corresponding changes in the level of 11beta-HSD2 mRNA following the treatment of Ishikawa cells with these steroid hormones and EGF, indicating that the effects of these hormones and EGF are mediated, at least in part, at the level of 11beta-HSD2 gene transcription. In conclusion, we have demonstrated for the first time that the human Ishikawa endometrial cell line expresses exclusively the 11beta-HSD2 isozyme. Moreover, we have presented the first direct evidence that sex steroid hormones and glucocorticoids stimulate while EGF inhibit the expression of 11beta-HSD2 in Ishikawa cells, suggesting that endometrial 11beta-HSD2 is under the control of steroid hormones and EGF. Thus, the Ishikawa cell line represents an excellent model in which the function and regulation of endometrial 11beta-HSD2 may be studied.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2↗

11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase functions reversibly as an oxidoreductase in the rat hippocampus in vivo.

The localization in the brain and metabolism of 3H-labeled corticosterone (B) and 11-dehydrocorticosterone (A) of high specific radioactivity was determined after stereotaxic injection into the hippocampus of anesthetized rats. [3H]B was cleared very rapidly with, on average, only about 7% being recovered after 5 min and 0.5% after 30 min. Most of this 3H-radioactivity was localized in the area surrounding the site of injection with little diffusion to adjacent areas. These findings make it possible to compare the short term metabolism of [3H]A and [3H]B in different lobes of the hippocampus in the same animal and establish their local equilibrium point in vivo. Under these conditions, about 5% conversion of each steroid to the other was observed in contrast to the situation in cultured hippocampal cells where 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11-HSD) has been shown by others to act primarily as a reductase catalyzing the conversion of A to B. This method can also be used to study the effect of inhibitors such as 11alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, applied locally in the brain, on the metabolism of corticosteroids. The rate of conversion [3H]B or [3H]A to their dihydro- and tetrahydro-derivatives capable of modulating the GABAa receptor in the hippocampus was much lower than their interconversion. Thus, factors which influence the direction of the 11-HSD catalyzed reaction are important in regulating not only salt appetite and blood pressure but also the levels of neuroactive metabolites of corticosterone.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Altered expression of 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases in human glaucomatous optic nerve head astrocytes.

3alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3alpha-HSD) isoforms (AKR1C1-AKR1C4) are aldo-keto reductases that metabolize steroids and other substances in many tissues including the CNS. Here we demonstrated that in glaucomatous human optic nerve heads, increased expression of 3alpha-HSD was localized to reactive astrocytes in the lamina cribrosa. Similar, optic nerve head astrocytes exhibited increased expression of 3alpha-HSD in response to elevated intraocular pressure in a monkey model of experimental glaucoma, but not in monkeys with unilateral optic nerve transection. In vitro, glaucomatous optic nerve head astrocytes expressed higher levels of AKR1C1, AKR1C2, and AKR1C3 mRNA, than normal astrocytes, with significant differential increase of AKR1C2 expression, and exhibited higher enzymatic activity forming 3alpha-androstanediol a well-recognized neurosteroid. Normal astrocytes exposed to elevated hydrostatic pressure selectively increased AKR1C2 expression. Our findings of increased expression of 3alpha-HSDs in glaucomatous optic nerve head astrocytes offer new insights into possible roles for neurosteroids in the pathophysiology of glaucoma.

3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Purification of full-length recombinant human and rat type 1 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases with retained oxidoreductase activities.

11beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD1) is a membrane-bound glycoprotein localized in the endoplasmic reticulum. This enzyme has a key role in regulating local tissue glucocorticoid concentration, acting in vivo predominantly as an oxidoreductase. Previous attempts to purify the native enzyme have yielded a protein without reductase activity. To facilitate detailed studies on its structure and regulation, we have developed a method to purify the full-length human and rat 11beta-HSD1 with retention of their natural oxidoreductase activities. This procedure involved recombinant expression of these histidine-tagged enzymes in the yeast Pichia pastoris; large-scale culturing in a fermentor; and single-step purification by metal affinity chromatography. Both enzymes were 90-95% pure and exhibited dehydrogenase and reductase activities with K(M) values in agreement with those reported in the literature.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1↗

Expression and functional consequences of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity in human bone.

Glucocorticoids have an essential role in skeletal development and function but are detrimental in excess. In several tissues, glucocorticoid action is dependent upon the expression of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11beta-HSD) isozymes, which interconvert active cortisol (F) and inactive cortisone (E). We previously demonstrated the expression of 11beta-HSD isozymes in human osteosarcoma cell lines, osteoblast cultures, and fetal bone. We now characterize 11beta-HSD expression in adult human bone using specific antihuman 11beta-HSD antibodies, riboprobes, and enzyme activity studies. In addition, the effect of 11beta-HSD on bone metabolism in vivo was assessed using the 11beta-HSD inhibitor carbenoxolone in eight normal male volunteers. In fresh normal human bone tissue, both 11beta-dehydrogenase (cortisol-to-cortisone conversion) and reductase (cortisone-to-cortisol conversion) activities were demonstrated. There was considerable interindividual variation in the dehydrogenase, but not reductase, activity. In bone homogenates, activity was NADP-dependent with a K(m) for F of 4.8 +/- 1.2 micromol/L, suggesting the presence of 11beta-HSD1. This was confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization studies demonstrated 11beta-HSD1 isozyme expression in cells of the osteoblast lineage and in osteoclasts. The 11beta-HSD2 isozyme was expressed, but only in osteoblasts and at a low level. Ingestion of 300 mg of carbenoxolone by eight normal volunteers for 7 days resulted in a significant decrease in the bone resorption markers, pyridinoline (Pyr) and deoxypyridinoline (DPyr) (change in urinary Pyr/creatinine -1.55 +/- 0.55 [mean +/- SE], for DPyr/creatinine -0. 4 +/- 0.14 nmol/mmol; p < 0.05 for both), with no overall change in the bone formation markers C- and N-terminal propeptides of type I collagen (PICP and PINP). These data suggest that local tissue metabolism of glucocorticoids is likely to be important in determining the sensitivity of both osteoblasts and osteoclasts to glucocorticoids. In particular, variation in 11beta-HSD isozyme expression and activity may explain individual variation in susceptibility to glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Molecular cloning of testicular 20 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase: identity with aldose reductase.

Complementary DNA (cDNA) clones encoding bovine testicular 20 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20 alpha-HSD) have been isolated from a bovine testicular lambda gt11 library using polyclonal antibodies against 20 alpha-HSD and DNA probe hybridization. Nucleotide sequencing of three independently isolated clones was used to establish a composite cDNA sequence that encodes the enzyme. It contains a coding sequence of 921 nucleotides, a stop codon, and a 264-nucleotide 3'-noncoding segment which allowed deduction of the amino acid sequence of the enzyme. A computer homology search of the 20 alpha-HSD cDNA performed against the GenBank DNA sequence database revealed it to be identical with bovine lens aldose reductase (alditol:NADPH oxidoreductase; EC 1.1.1.21), and a literature search reveals the deduced amino acid sequence to be identical with that reported for the bovine enzyme. Sequences obtained from the N-terminus of purified testicular 20 alpha-HSD and from random peptides obtained by treatment with endopeptidase Lys-C are all identical with regions of the deduced amino acid sequence of 20 alpha-HSD and/or the published sequence of aldose reductase. Further, the enzyme purified to homogeneity by following activity with 17-hydroxyprogesterone as a substrate was shown to reduce glucose, glyceraldehyde, and benzaldehyde (all classic aldose reductase substrates). Finally, 17-hydroxyprogesterone inhibited the reduction of benzaldehyde and glyceraldehyde. Because aldose reductase has been implicated in the etiology of diabetic complications, acceptance of steroid substrates may offer new implications for therapy.

20-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Secosteroid mechanism-based inactivators and site-directed mutagenesis as probes for steroid hormone recognition by 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase.

Rat liver 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3 alpha-HSD, EC 1.1.1.50) inactivates circulating androgens, progestins, and glucocorticoids. 3 alpha-HSD is a member of the aldo-keto reductase superfamily, and the X-ray structure of the apoenzyme shows the presence of an (alpha/beta)8 barrel [Hoog, S. S., Pawlowski, J. E., Alzari, P. M., Penning, T. M., & Lewis, M. (1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 91, 2517-2521]. As yet, a three-dimensional structure of the ternary complex E.NADPH.steroid is unavailable. To identify regions of the enzyme involved in steroid hormone recognition, we have employed mechanism-based inactivators and site-directed mutagenesis. (3 RS)-1,10-Seco-5 alpha-estr-1-yne-3,17 beta-diol (1) and (17 RS)- 17-hydroxy-14,15-secoandrost-4-en-15-yn-3-one (3) are secosteroids which contain latent Michael acceptors (alpha,beta-unsaturated alcohols) at opposite ends of the steroid nucleus (at the C-3 and C-17 positions, respectively). It was found that compounds 1 and 3 inactivated 3 alpha-HSD only in the presence of NAD+. The requirement for cofactor implies that 1 and 3 are oxidized to the corresponding alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones for inactivation to occur. Chemically prepared 17 beta-hydroxy-1,10-seco-5 alpha-estr-1-yn-3-one (2) and 14,15-secoandrost-4-en-15-yne-3,17-dione (4), the presumed products of 1 and 3 oxidation, behaved as stoichiometric inactivators of 3 alpha-HSD. In the presence and absence of NAD+, 2 and 4 inactivated > 50% of the enzyme in 10 s or less.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Mechanism-based inactivation of 17 beta,20 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase by an acetylenic secoestradiol.

14,15-Secoestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-15-yne-3,17 beta-diol (1) is a mechanism-based inactivator of human placental 17 beta,20 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (estradiol dehydrogenase, EC 1.1.1.62). Inactivation with alcohol 1 requires NAD-dependent enzymic oxidation and follows approximately pseudo-first-order kinetics with a limiting t1/2 of 82 min and a "Ki" of 2.0 microM at pH 9.2 and 25 degrees C. At saturating concentrations of NAD, the initial rate of inactivation is slower than in the presence of 5 microM NAD, suggesting that cofactor binding to free enzyme impedes the inactivation process. Glutathione completely protects the enzyme from inactivation at both cofactor concentrations. Inactivation with 45 microM tritiated alcohol 1 followed by dialysis and gel filtration demonstrates a covalent interaction and affords an estimated stoichiometry of 1.4 molecules of steroid per subunit (2.8 per dimer). Chemically prepared 3-hydroxy-14,15-secoestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-15-yn-17-one (2) rapidly inactivates estradiol dehydrogenase with biphasic kinetics. From the latter phase, a Ki of 2.8 microM and a limiting t1/2 of 12 min at pH 9.2 were determined. Estradiol, NADH, and NAD all retard this latter inactivation phase. We propose that enzymatically generated ketone 2 inactivates estradiol dehydrogenase after its release from and return to the active site of free enzyme.

20-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗