Endocrine Abstracts

Steroid hormones are important regulators of many physiological processes. The steroid precursor pregnenolone is converted through several enzymatic steps into all types of steroids, including the stress hormone cortisol. Mitochondrial steroidogenic cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes crucially relying on electron transfer from the redox partner ferredoxin (FDX1) are involved in key steps of the cortisol biosynthesis pathway.Cortisol is well-known regulator of...

Mitochondrial steroidogenic cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, such as P450 side-chain cleavage, rely on electron transfer from the redox partner ferredoxin (FDX1) for catalytic activity. Previous in vitro data suggest these cofactors are key regulators of CYP enzyme activity. This study aims to establish the role of redox regulation on steroidogenesis using zebrafish as a vertebrate in vivo model.In contrast to humans, zebrafish have two F...

Zebrafish has emerged as an important vertebrate in vivo model to study human disease. Steroidogenesis in zebrafish is not well characterised. Human CYP11A1 (hCYP11A1) catalyses the first step of steroidogenesis, the conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone. Zebrafish Cyp11a1 (zCyp11a1) is essential during embryogenesis. Published data suggest that zCyp11a1 facilitates steroidogenesis in the interrenal (equivalent to mammalian adrenal), gonad and brain. We identified...