title: Messenger RNA of steroid 21-hydroxylase (CYP21) is expressed in the human hippocampus.
abstract: 21-hydroxylase converts progesterone to 11-deoxycorticosterone and 17-hydroxyprogesterone to 11-deoxycortisol, the substrates which are required for the production of the main adrenal steroids, corticosterone, aldosterone, and cortisol. As 21-hydroxylase activity has been detected in rodent and fetal human brain, we studied whether and to what extent 21-hydroxylase mRNA is expressed in hippocampal tissue specimens from patients undergoing epilepsy surgery (n=42). 21-hydroxylase mRNA was detected in the hippocampus with an expression 10 000 times lower than in adrenal gland tissue. There was no significant difference in expression levels between women (9.5+/-2.7 arbitrary units (aU); mean+/-SEM) and men (8.0+/-2.2 aU); however, mRNA concentrations in the hippocampus of children (n=4, 1.8+/-0.5 aU) were considerably lower than in adults (n=38, 8.6+/-1.7 aU). The expression of 21-hydroxylase mRNA in the hippocampus suggests that this human brain area has the enzymatic capability to convert progesterone to 11-deoxycorticosterone and 17-hydroxyprogesterone to 11-deoxycortisol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany. s.beyenburg@uni-bonn.de
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beyenburg
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watzka
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Clusmann
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Blümcke
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bidlingmaier
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Elger
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stoffel-Wagner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013255:Steroid 21-Hydroxylase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*; D013256:Steroids / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D013256:Steroids; D013255:Steroid 21-Hydroxylase