Expression of 17 -Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 and Type 2, P450 Aromatase, and 20 -Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Enzymes in Immature, Mature, and Pregnant Rats

Abstract

In the present study, we evaluated the expression and regulation of 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17HSD) type 1 and type 2, cytochrome P450 aromatase (P450arom), and 20alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20HSD) in mature and pregnant rats. Immunohistochemical analysis of rat 17HSD type 1 showed that the enzyme is exclusively expressed in the granulosa cells of developing, healthy, primary, secondary, and tertiary follicles at all stages of the estrous cycle and pregnancy, and is not detected in the corpora lutea. The data showed that the amount of the enzyme expressed in the follicle increases as follicular maturation progresses and is highest in tertiary and Graafian follicles. However, Northern blot analysis of total RNA from whole ovaries showed a rather constitutive expression of the 17HSD type 1 enzyme. It is evident that compared with P450arom, 17HSD type 1 is more widely expressed in the follicles during the various maturational stages of folliculogenesis. Hence, the data indicate distinct localization, expression, and regulation patterns for 17HSD type 1 and P450arom during the rat estrous cycle and pregnancy. Furthermore, compared with the two estradiol biosynthetic enzymes, a different expression pattern was detected for 20HSD messenger RNA. During the estrous cycle the enzyme was detected in the ovaries throughout the cycle, and in the ovaries of pregnant animals the enzyme showed an expression pattern the opposite of that observed for P450arom. Rat 17HSD type 2, not detected in the ovaries, was constitutively expressed in both female and male liver and small intestine in 21-day-old fetuses up to 6-week-old mature animals. Similarly, in these tissues the enzyme was constitutively expressed in normal cycling and pregnant animals, but it showed increasing expression in the placenta as pregnancy advanced. The relatively constitutive expression of the enzyme at all physiological stages of the animals suggests a general role for the enzyme in the inactivation of circulating sex steroids.

Mouse 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 mRNA is predominantly expressed in hepatocytes and in surface epithelial cells of the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts

“…This suggests a low homogenous expression of the mRNA throughout these tissues. Our recent Northern analyses indicated that in the rat, 17HSD type 2 mRNA is similarly expressed in both male and female liver and small intestine, from late fetal life to 6-week-old animals (Akinola et al 1997). This, together with the present findings, indicates that there are no differences in 17HSD type 2 expression in the various epithelial cell types in male and female mice.…”

Molecular cloning of equine 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 and its downregulation during follicular luteinization in vivo

“…While high levels of equine 17bHSD1 mRNA were also observed in a placenta sample, which is consistent with the high 17bHSD1 mRNA and protein observed in placentae of humans and non-human primates (Lin et al 1992, Castagnetta et al 1997, Schwabe et al 2001, this is not the case for rodents, however (Akinola et al 1997). It has also been detected by in situ hybridization in mice in granulosa cells of growing follicles, the intermediate lobe melanotrophs of the pituitary, in epithelial cells of the prostate, and in germ cells of the testis (Pelletier et al 2004).…”

“…Previous investigations of 17bHSD1 in the ovary have included its detection by northern blot in the rat (Ghersevich et al 1994), RT-PCR in humans (Nelson et al 2001), in situ hybridization, and Southern blotting in mice (Sha et al 1997, Pelletier et al 2004, as well as in human corpora lutea by immunohistochemistry (Vaskivuo et al 2002). It has been detected in the granulosa cells of developing follicles in immature and mature rats (Akinola et al 1997), and its regulation during the ovulatory process has been examined in rodents; however, it was limited by the use of immature hypophysectomized rats (Ghersevich et al 1994).…”

The influence of adiponectin on the transcriptomic profile of porcine luteal cells

“…A product of this gene is an enzyme involved in the conversion of progesterone into its biologically inactive metabolite 20α-hydroxyprogesterone (Penning 1997). This enzyme has been detected, e.g., in the porcine ovary and uterus, rat ovary and placenta, and human uterus (Seo et al 2011;Akinola et al 1997;Shiota et al 1993;Zhang et al 2000). Moreover, according to our results, AKR1C1 is a part Fig.…”