SRD5A2
Encyclopedia
3-oxo-5-alpha-steroid 4-dehydrogenase 2 is an enzyme
that in humans is encoded by the SRD5A2 gene
.
Steroid 5-alpha reductase
catalyzes the conversion of the male sex hormone testosterone
into the more potent androgen
, dihydrotestosterone
.
This gene encodes a microsomal
protein expressed at high levels in androgen-sensitive tissues such as the prostate
. The encoded protein is active at acidic pH and is sensitive to the 4-azasteroid inhibitor finasteride
. Deficiencies in this gene can result in male pseudohermaphroditism
, specifically pseudovaginal perineoscrotal hypospadias
(PPSH).
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
that in humans is encoded by the SRD5A2 gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
.
Steroid 5-alpha reductase
5-alpha reductase
5α-reductases, also known as 3-oxo-5α-steroid 4-dehydrogenases, are enzymes involved in steroid metabolism. They participate in 3 metabolic pathways: bile acid biosynthesis, androgen and estrogen metabolism, and prostate cancer....
catalyzes the conversion of the male sex hormone testosterone
Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
into the more potent androgen
Androgen
Androgen, also called androgenic hormone or testoid, is the generic term for any natural or synthetic compound, usually a steroid hormone, that stimulates or controls the development and maintenance of male characteristics in vertebrates by binding to androgen receptors...
, dihydrotestosterone
Dihydrotestosterone
Dihydrotestosterone is an androgen or male sex hormone. The enzyme 5α-reductase synthesises DHT in the prostate, testes, hair follicles, and adrenal glands...
.
This gene encodes a microsomal
Microsome
In cell biology, microsomes are vesicle-like artifacts re-formed from pieces of the endoplasmic reticulum when eukaryotic cells are broken-up in the laboratory; by definition, microsomes are not ordinarily present in living cells....
protein expressed at high levels in androgen-sensitive tissues such as the prostate
Prostate
The prostate is a compound tubuloalveolar exocrine gland of the male reproductive system in most mammals....
. The encoded protein is active at acidic pH and is sensitive to the 4-azasteroid inhibitor finasteride
Finasteride
Finasteride is a synthetic antiandrogen that inhibits type II 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone...
. Deficiencies in this gene can result in male pseudohermaphroditism
Pseudohermaphroditism
Pseudohermaphroditism, or pseudo-hermaphroditism, is the condition in which an organism is born with secondary sex characteristics or a phenotype that is different from what would be expected on the basis of the gonadal tissue ....
, specifically pseudovaginal perineoscrotal hypospadias
Pseudovaginal perineoscrotal hypospadias
Pseudovaginal perineoscrotal hypospadias refers to a configuration of the external genitalia of an infant. In a sense, this configuration is roughly midway between normal male genitalia and normal female genitalia in structure and appearance...
(PPSH).