Endocrine Abstracts

The aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2), being 93 % identical in its primary structure to CYP11B1, catalyses the 11beta-hydroxylation, 18-hydroxylation and 18-oxidation of deoxycorticosterone to form aldosterone. CYP11B2 is an important target for the development of drugs, since overproduction of aldosterone may lead to hypertension as well as heart failure. Thus, besides the mineralocorticoid receptor, CYP11B2 seems to be a potent target for drug development. To find specific inhi...

The final reaction for cortisol production in the adrenal gland is catalysed by the 11β-hydroxylase enzyme, encoded by the CYP11B1 gene. Variants in this gene have been associated with alterations in cortisol levels, which increase blood pressure. This gene is traditionally thought to consist of 9 exons. However, recent evidence has predicted the existence of at least one alternatively spliced form.The presence of novel CYP11B1 mRN...