title: Ethanol rapidly induces steroidogenic acute regulatory protein expression and translocation in rat adrenal gland.
abstract: Acute ethanol exposure increases GABAergic neuroactive steroids in plasma and brain by releasing these steroids or their precursors from the adrenal glands. The present study showed that ethanol administration rapidly increases the expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) in the cytosolic and mitochondrial fractions of adrenal glands. The increased StAR protein expression paralleled increases in plasma pregnenolone, progesterone and corticosterone levels. The rapid synthesis and translocation of StAR protein in adrenals likely represent the mechanism of ethanol-induced increases in neuroactive steroids.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7178, USA.
authors.forename: Rahul T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Khisti
authors.forename: Sandeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: A Leslie
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Morrow
mesh_terms: D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011284:Pregnenolone / Q000097:blood; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D021381:Protein Transport; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D000098682:Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein
chemical_list: D010750:Phosphoproteins; D000098682:Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein; D000431:Ethanol; D011374:Progesterone; D011284:Pregnenolone; D003345:Corticosterone