Messenger RNA of steroid 21-hydroxylase (CYP21) is expressed in the human hippocampus.
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.
Beyenburg
S
S
Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany. s.beyenburg@uni-bonn.de
Watzka
M
M
Clusmann
H
H
Blümcke
I
I
Bidlingmaier
F
F
Elger
C E
CE
Stoffel-Wagner
B
B
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*
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D013256:Steroids; D013255:Steroid 21-Hydroxylase