title: Expression of 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type IV in chick retinal pigment epithelium.
abstract: Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) has essential roles that maintain functions of the neural retina. Previously, we described that the 3b5 monoclonal antibody (3b5 mAb) recognized the RPE cells in the chick embryonic eye. In the present study, a gene coding for the 3b5 antigen has been cloned and sequenced. A 10-day-old embryonic RPE cDNA library was constructed in lambda Uni-ZAP XR, and screened with the 3b5 mAb as a probe. The complete nucleotide sequence of the antigen recognized by the 3b5 mAb was obtained. The cDNA encodes a 735 amino acid protein with a calculated molecular mass of 80,147 Da. The deduced amino acid sequence shares 72% identity with the human 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17 beta-HSD) type IV. Northern blot analysis detected a 2.9 kb transcript. Immunohistochemical and in-situ hybridization studies revealed that 17 beta-HSD type IV was preferentially expressed in the RPE cells. The expression of steroid metabolizing enzymes in the RPE cells is able to create estrogenic environment, which may have a role of maintenance of the neural retina.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Honda
mesh_terms: D015067:17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002642:Chick Embryo; D004247:DNA; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004746:Enoyl-CoA Hydratase; D015698:Genomic Library; D006801:Humans; D006836:Hydro-Lyases; D006913:Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D064029:Peroxisomal Multifunctional Protein-2; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000201:enzymology*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D004247:DNA; D015067:17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases; D006913:Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases; D006836:Hydro-Lyases; D064029:Peroxisomal Multifunctional Protein-2; C104587:HSD17B4 protein, human; D004746:Enoyl-CoA Hydratase