Abstract |
Androgens and estrogens are not only synthesized in the gonads but also in peripheral target tissues. Accordingly, recent molecular cloning has allowed us to identify multiple types of 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (17beta-HSD), the key and exclusive enzymes involved in the formation and inactivation of sex steroids. However, only one form, namely, type 3 17beta-HSD, is responsible for pseudohermaphroditism in deficient boys. To date, seven human 17beta-HSDs have been isolated and characterized. Although they catalyze substrates having a similar structure, 17beta-HSDs have very low homology. In intact cells in culture, these enzymes catalyze the reaction in a unidirectional way - types 1, 3, 5 and 7 catalyze the reductive reaction, while types 2, 4 and 8 catalyze the oxidative reaction. It is noteworthy that rat type 6 17beta-HSD also catalyzes the reaction in the oxidative direction. In this report, we analyze the different characteristics of the multiple types of human 17beta-HSD.
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Authors | V Luu-The |
Journal | The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology
(J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol)
2001 Jan-Mar
Vol. 76
Issue 1-5
Pg. 143-51
ISSN: 0960-0760 [Print] England |
PMID | 11384872
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Review)
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Chemical References |
- Androgens
- Estrogens
- Isoenzymes
- 17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases
- 3 (or 17)-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase
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Topics |
- 17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases
(metabolism)
- Androgens
(biosynthesis)
- Estrogens
(biosynthesis)
- Humans
- Isoenzymes
(metabolism)
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