The 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase gene family of enzymes.
It now is apparent that a family of closely related genes encode for 3beta- hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3betaHSD). Studies on the regulation of these genes are in their infancy, but the regulation appears multifactorial. The various 3betaHSD genes are expressed principally in a tissue-specific manner likely involving separate mechanisms of regulation. To date, two human 3betaHSD genes and their products have been characterized; type I is expressed in placenta, sebaceous glands, and several other nonendocrine tissues, whereas the type II isoform is the principal 3betaHSD of adrenal cortex and gonads.
Ian Mason
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J. Ian Mason is at the Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, Departments of Biochemistry, and Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 752359051, USA.