Activity of the type 1 5 alpha-reductase exhibits regional differences in isolated sebaceous glands and whole skin.

The presence of 5 alpha-reductase (5 alpha-R) in skin may indicate that the androgen regulation of sebaceous glands and sebum production requires the local conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. The goals of this study were to identify which isozyme of 5 alpha-R (type 1 or type 2) is expressed in sebaceous glands from facial areas, scalp, and non-acne-prone areas; to determine if 5 alpha-R activity is concentrated in sebaceous glands; to assess whether there are regional differences in this enzyme's activity; and to test the effects of azasteroid inhibitors and 13-cis retinoic acid on 5 alpha-R in these tissues. Sebaceous glands were microdissected from facial skin, scalp, and non-acne-prone skin (arm, breast, abdomen, leg), and the activity of 5 alpha-R was determined. A total of 49 samples from 23 male and 21 female subjects without acne (age range, 16 to 81 years, 56 +/- 20 years [mean +/- SD]) was analyzed. The biochemical properties of the enzyme in each of the samples tested are consistent with those of the type 1 5 alpha-R. Minimal to no type 2 5 alpha-R was detected. The level of 5 alpha-R activity was significantly higher in the sebaceous glands compared to whole skin in facial skin (p = 0.047), scalp (p = 0.039), and non-acne-prone skin (p = 0.04). Enzyme activity in sebaceous glands from facial skin and scalp was significantly higher than in a comparable amount of sebaceous gland material obtained from non-acne-prone areas (32 +/- 6 [mean +/- SEM]), 35 +/- 7 (mean +/- SEM) versus 6.0 +/- 3.0 (mean +/- SEM) pmol/min/mg protein, p = 0.014 and 0.007, respectively). Finasteride and 13-cis retinoic acid were poor inhibitors of the enzyme with 50% inhibitory concentration values greater than 500 nM. These data demonstrate that in the skin from older patients without acne the type 1 isozyme of 5 alpha-R predominates, its activity is concentrated in sebaceous glands and is significantly higher in sebaceous glands from the face and scalp compared to non-acne-prone areas, and the action of 13-cis retinoic acid in the control of acne is not at the level of 5 alpha-R. Furthermore, we suggest that specific inhibition of the type 1 5 alpha-R may offer a viable approach to the management of sebum production and, hence, acne.

Cloning, expression and characterization of rhesus macaque types 1 and 2 5alpha-reductase: evidence for mechanism-based inhibition by finasteride.

The rhesus macaque types 1 and 2 5alpha-reductase (5aR1 and 5aR2) were cloned and expressed in COS cells to facilitate comparison of rhesus and human 5aRs. The deduced protein sequences of the rhesus SaRs shared 94% and 96% identity with the human type 1 and 2 isozymes, respectively. Despite a four amino acid insertion at the N-terminal region of rhesus 5aR1, the biochemical properties of rhesus and human homologs are very similar with respect to pH optimum, Km values for testosterone and progesterone, and inhibition by a variety of inhibitors. As expected, the biochemical properties of the human and rhesus 5aR2 are also very similar. The mechanism of inhibition of the rhesus 5aR1 and 5aR2 by finasteride was investigated in more detail. Finasteride displays time dependent inhibition of the rhesus 5aR1 and 5aR2 with second order rate constants of 4 x 10(3) M(-1) s(-1) and 5.2 x 10(5) M(-1)s(-1). Inhibition of rhesus 5aR2 with 3H-finasteride resulted in 3H bound to the enzyme which is not released by dialysis. Heat denaturation of the [rhesus SaR2:inhibitor] complex releases dihydrofinasteride, a breakdown product presumably related to the NADP+-adduct previously identified with the human SaRs (Bull et al., Mechanism-based inhibition of human steroid 5alpha-reductase by finasteride: Enzyme catalyzed formation of NADP-dihydrofinasteride, a potent bisubstrate analog inhibitor. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 1996, 118, 2359-2365). Taken together, these results provide good evidence that the rhesus macaque is a suitable model to evaluate the pharmacological properties of finasteride and other 5aR inhibitors.

MK386: a potent, selective inhibitor of the human type 1 5alpha-reductase.

Steroid 5alpha-reductase is required for the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. Localization of type 1 5alpha-reductase in the sebaceous gland of skin offers the possibility for selective inhibition of this isozyme as a treatment for acne. The goals of these studies are to demonstrate the mechanism of inhibition of MK386 and its selectivity for type 1 5alpha-reductase. The apparent potency of MK386 differed depending on the source of the enzyme (i.e. recombinant vs. native), yet selectivity for type 1 5alpha-reductase was unchanged. Our results indicate that the apparent potency of MK386 is modulated by the membrane concentration of the assay. These results suggest that MK386 has a high affinity for the lipid-rich membrane environment of 5alpha-reductase. MK386 was also found to be a slow binding inhibitor of type 1 5alpha-reductase. However, the cause of this time-dependent inhibition is unrelated to partitioning of the inhibitor into the membrane because similar studies with type 2 5alpha-reductase indicate that MK386 is a reversible, competitive inhibitor. A number of counterscreens were developed to demonstrate that MK386 is a poor inhibitor of other steroid metabolizing enzymes.

Co-ordinate regulation of low-density-lipoprotein receptor and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase and synthase gene expression in HepG2 cells.

Cellular processes responsible for maintaining cholesterol homoeostasis are highly regulated. To determine whether two of these processes, cholesterol biosynthesis and receptor-mediated uptake of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), are co-ordinately regulated in human liver, we employed a human hepatoma cell line (HepG2) and measured the accumulation of mRNA for LDL receptor, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase and HMG-CoA synthase under a variety of conditions. Genomic Southern-blot analysis demonstrated that the integrity of these genes is maintained in the transformed cell. Treatment of HepG2 cells with mevalonate, 25-hydroxycholesterol, LDL, lovastatin or miconazole resulted in a similar effect on the accumulation of all three mRNAs at the concentrations tested. The onset of the response to drug, whether repression or induction of mRNA accumulation, occurred after approximately the same period of exposure for each mRNA. We conclude that the expression of the LDL receptor, HMG-CoA reductase and HMG-CoA synthase is co-ordinately regulated in HepG2 cells.

Transcriptional regulation of the human cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase gene.

As an initial step toward understanding the transcriptional regulation of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7) in man, we isolated and functionally characterized the 5'-flanking region of the human CYP7 gene. The nucleotide sequences of the first exon and 1.6 kb preceding the exon were determined and found to contain a TATA box at position -30, a modified CAAT box at position -92, three potential hepatocyte nuclear factor 3 (HNF-3) recognition sites at nucleotides -316, -288, and -255, respectively, and a modified sterol response element at position -271. DNA sequences containing 1.3 kb of the 5'-flanking region and 29 nucleotides of the first exon were linked to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene and transiently transfected into several cell lines. Promoter activity was very strong in the human hepatoma cell line HepG2 but absent in cells of nonhepatic origin. Mutational analysis of the promoter identified several regions that function in the transcriptional regulation of CYP7. Introduction of a fragment containing the region from -432 to -220 upstream of a heterologous promoter, in either orientation, resulted in a tremendous stimulation of activity in HepG2 cells. DNase I footprint analysis identified three regions within this fragment which were protected from digestion. The overexpression of HNF-3 in HepG2 cells resulted in a 4-fold stimulation of CYP7 transcriptional activity. We suggest that the region between -432 and -220 functions as a cell-specific enhancer whose activity is controlled, in part, by HNF-3.

Identification and selective inhibition of an isozyme of steroid 5 alpha-reductase in human scalp.

Steroid 5 alpha-reductase (EC 1.3.1.22) catalyzes the reduction of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. The 5 alpha-reductase found in human scalp has been compared with the enzyme found in prostate. The scalp reductase has a broad pH optimum centered at pH 7.0. This is distinctly different from the pH optimum of 5.5 observed with the prostatic form of the enzyme. These enzymes also differ in the Km for testosterone, which is 25-fold higher for the scalp reductase. The most significant difference between the two enzymes is their affinity for inhibitors. Two 4-azasteroids and a 3-carboxyandrostadiene are potent inhibitors of the prostatic reductase but are weak inhibitors of the scalp reductase. In contrast, several N-4-methylazasteroids are good inhibitors of the scalp reductase. These findings support a proposal that different isozymes of 5 alpha-reductase may exist in scalp and prostate. The scalp reductase was also compared to 5 alpha-reductase 1, one of the two enzymes recently cloned from human prostate [Andersson, S. & Russell, D. W. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 3640-3644; and Andersson, S., Berman, D. M., Jenkins, E. P. & Russell, D. W. (1991) Nature (London) 354, 159-161]. The characteristics of the cloned reductase 1 are comparable to those of the scalp reductase.