Endocrine Abstracts

Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) is a nuclear encoded vital mitochondrial protein that is essential for synthesis of steroid hormones in the adrenal and gonads. In these tissues, StAR mediates translocation of cholesterol into the inner mitochondrial membranes, where it is converted to the first steroid, pregnenolone. The roughly understood mechanism of StAR action is probably executed prior to StAR import, when the protein is paused at the surface of the outer mi...