J A Pineda, G L Murdock, R J Watson, J C Warren
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis 63110.
The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology 1990 SepWe have previously shown that human placental estradiol-17 beta dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.62; 17 beta-EDH) catalyzes the conversion of estradiol-17 beta to estrone and stereospecifically reduces NAD+ to [4-pro-S]NADH, [( 4-B]NADH). Subsequently, this enzyme was found to reduce the ketone function at C-20 of progesterone, and evidence indicates that both activities reside at the same active site. This study was done to further elucidate spatial arrangements of cofactor and the 21-carbon substrate as they bind at the active site. The cofactor, [4B-3H]NADPH, was generated with homogeneous 17 beta-EDH from term human placenta, utilizing [17 alpha-3H]estradiol-17 beta and NADP+. The resulting [4B-3H]NADPH was then purified by ion exchange chromatography and was separately incubated (24.4 microM) with a large molar excess of progesterone (150 microM) as substrate in the presence of the enzyme. Following incubation, the steroid reactants and products were extracted, separated by high-performance liquid chromatography and quantitated as to mass and tritium content. Oxidized and reduced cofactor were separated by ion-exchange chromatography and similarly quantitated. In all incubations, equimolar amounts of 20 alpha-hydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (20 alpha-OHP) and NADP+ were obtained. Radioactivity was stoichiometrically transferred from [4B-3H]NADPH to the steroid product [( 3H]20 alpha-OHP). These results further substantiate a single active site for both 17 beta- and 20 alpha-dehydrogenation enzyme activities. In addition, the enzyme is B-side specific, catalyzing the transfer of the 4B-hydrogen from the dihydronicotinamide moiety of the cofactor, for both C-18 and C-21 steroid substrates. Since the 20 alpha-dehydrogenation by other enzyme sources has always been demonstrated to be an A-side specific reaction, this observation represents an important exception to the Alworth-Bentley rules of enzyme stereospecificity.
J A Pineda, G L Murdock, R J Watson, J C Warren. Stereospecificity of hydrogen transfer between progesterone and cofactor by human placental estradiol-17 beta dehydrogenase. The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology. 1990 Sep;37(1):65-70
PMID: 2146972
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