Human brain short chain L-3-hydroxyacyl coenzyme A dehydrogenase is a single-domain multifunctional enzyme. Characterization of a novel 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase.
Human brain short chain L-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (SCHAD) was found to catalyze the oxidation of 17beta-estradiol and dihydroandrosterone as well as alcohols. Mitochondria have been demonstrated to be the proper location of this NAD+-dependent dehydrogenase in cells, although its primary structure is identical to an amyloid beta-peptide binding protein reportedly associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ERAB). This fatty acid beta-oxidation enzyme was identified as a novel 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase responsible for the inactivation of sex steroid hormones. The catalytic rate constant of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 0.66 min-1 with apparent Km values of 43 and 50 microM for 17beta-estradiol and NAD+, respectively. The catalytic efficiency of this enzyme for the oxidation of 17beta-estradiol was comparable with that of peroxisomal 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 4. As a result, the human SCHAD gene product, a single-domain multifunctional enzyme, appears to function in two different pathways of lipid metabolism. Because the catalytic functions of human brain short chain L-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase could weaken the protective effects of estrogen and generate aldehydes in neurons, it is proposed that a high concentration of this enzyme in brain is a potential risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.
D015067:17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015094:3-Hydroxyacyl CoA Dehydrogenases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D000438:Alcohols / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction