MCP Lecture 3 Flashcards
What is the precursor of all steroid hormones?
cholesterol
What are the classes of steroid hormones?
glucocorticoids (i.e. cortisol) mineralocorticoids (i.e. aldosterone) sex hormones (androgens, estrogens, progestins)
Where is cortisol, aldosterone, and androgens secreted from?
adrenal cortex
How do steroid hormones reach their target?
carrier proteins in the blood
Describe the synthesis of steroid hormones
shortening the hydrocarbon chain of cholesterol and hydroxylating the steroid nucleus
What is the rate limiting step in steroid hormone synthesis? What is the enzyme that catalyzes this reaction?
conversion of cholesterol to the 21 carbon pregnenolone
catalyzed by CYP11A (cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme
What type of enzyme is CYP11A, and where is it located? What does the reaction require?
cytochrome P450 mixed function oxidase
located on inner mitochondrial membrane
requires NADPH and O2
What mediates the transfer of cholesterol from the mitochondrial outer membrane to the inner membrane?
StAR (steroidogenic acute regulatory protein)
What are congenital adrenal hyperplasias?
an enzyme deficiency in the conversion of cholesterol to a steroid hormone causing serious metabolic imbalance
Where is cortisol produced? How is its production and secretion controlled?
produced in middle layer of adrenal cortex (zona fasciculata)
controlled by hypothalamus
When and why is cortisol released?
in response to stress (infection) - corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) produced by hypothalamus travels to anterior pituitary where it induces the production and secretion of ACTH - the “stress hormone” - which causes the adrenal cortex to synthesize and secrete glucocorticoid cortisol
What does cortisol do?
helps the body respond to stress through effects on metabolism (stimulating gluconeogensis) and the inflammatory and immune responses
What inhibits CRH and ACTH?
cortisol - negative feedback
What are the steps of cortisol synthesis?
ACTH binding to G-protein receptor = increased cAMP = activated PKA which phosphorylates and activates the lipase which converts cholesterol ester to cholesterol and StAR protein (cholesterol to inner mitochondrial membrane)
pregnenolone is returned to the cytosol and converted to progesterone
CYP17 and CYP21 convert progesterone to 11-deoxycortisol which is returned to inner mitochondrial membrane where CYP11B1 catalyzes Beta hydoxylation at c21 to give cortisol
What causes production of aldosterone and where is it produced?
production stimulated by decrease in plasma Na+/K+ ratio and by angiotensin II (which binds Gcoupled cell surface receptor and acts through phosphatidylinositol 4,5 biphosphate pathway)
produced in outer layer of adrenal cortex (zona glomerulosa)
What is the function of aldosterone?
enhances Na+ and water uptake and K+ efflux in the kidney tubules
this increases blood pressure