Mutant forms of cytochrome P-450 controlling both 18- and 11beta-steroid hydroxylation in the rat.

A reciprocal relationship between steroid 18- and 11beta-hydroxylase activities in the salt susceptible (S) and the salt resistant (R) strains of rats was previously shown to be controlled by a single genetic locus with two alleles and inheritance by co-dominance (Rapp, J. P., and Dahl, L. K. (1972), Endocrinology 90, 1435). The strain specific steroidogenic patterns, characterized by the relative magnitudes of 18- and 11beta-hydroxylase activities, were found to be determined by adrenal mitochondrial cytochrome P-450 particles. Carbon monoxide inhibition of 18- and 11beta-hydroxylation of deoxycorticosterone in these strains showed that the CO/O2 ratio causing 50% inhibition (i.e., Warburg's partition constant, K) was identical for 18- and 11beta-hydroxylation within a strain, but different for both 18- and 11 beta hydroxylation between strains. (K values were: S rats, 18-hydroxylation = 11.4 +/- 1.4; S rats, 11beta-hydroxylation = 11.0 +/- 1.2; R rats, 18-hydroxylation = 56.4 +/- 13.7; R rats, 11beta-hydroxylation = 46.7 +/- 11.7). This between-strain difference was unique for 18- and 11beta-hydroxylation; i.e., it was not seen with cholesterol side-chain cleavage or 21-hydroxylation. Moreover, the strain-specific K values for 18- and 11beta-hydroxylase and the strain-specific steroidogenic patterns due to the relative magnitudes of 18- and 11beta-hydroxylase activities segregated together in an F2 population. These data strongly suggest the same cytochrome P-450 is involved in both 18- and 11beta-hydroxylation and that this cytochrome is mutated between S and R rats. K values for the reaction corticosterone leads to 18-hydroxycorticosterone were different between S and R strains, indicating that the mutant cytochrome was also involved in this hydroxylation, but K values for the conversion corticosterone leads to aldosterone were not different between strains. This was interpreted to mean that each step in the sequence corticosterone leads to 18-hydroxycorticosterone leads to aldosterone was mediated by a different cytochrome, the K value for the second step being the lower and dominating the overall reaction. It was speculated that the second step could be a second hydroxylation at position 18 to yield 18,18-dihydroxycorticosterone which could be unstable and decompose into aldosterone and water.     

Common characteristics of the cytochrome P-450 system involved in 18- and 11 beta-hydroxylation of deoxycorticosterone in rat adrenals.

18- and 11beta-Hydroxylation of deoxycorticosterone and side chain cleavage of cholesterol were studied in mitochondria and submitochondrial reconstituted systems prepared from rat and bovine adrenals. A mass fragmentographic technique was used that allows determination of hydroxylation of both exogenous and endogenous cholesterol. The following results were obtained. (1) Treatment of rats with excess potassium chloride in drinking fluid increased mitochondrial cytochrome P-450 as well as 18- and 11beta-hydroxylase activity in the adrenals. Cholesterol side chain cleavage was not affected. In the presence of excess adrenodoxin and adrenodoxin reductase, cytochrome P-450 isolated from potassium chloride-treated rats had higher 18- and 11beta-hydroxylase activity per nmol than cytochrome P-450 isolated from control rats. The stimulatory effects on 18- and 11beta-hydroxylation were of similar magnitude. (2) Long-term treatment with ACTH increased cholesterol side chain cleavage in the adrenals but had no effect on 18- and 11beta-hydroxylase activity. The amount of cytochrome P-450 in the adrenals was not affected by the treatment. It was shown with isolated mitochondrial cytochrome P-450 in the presence of excess adrenodoxin and adrenodoxin reductase that the effect of ACTH was due to increase of side chain cleavage activity per nmol cytochrome P-450. Side chain cleavage of exogenous cholesterol was affected more than that of endogenous cholesterol. (3) Gel chromatography of soluble cytochrome P-450 prepared from rat and bovine adrenal mitochondria yielded chromatographic fractions having either a high 18- and 11beta-hydroxylase activity and a low cholesterol side chain cleavage activity or the reverse. The ratio between 18- and 11beta-hydroxylase activity was approximately constant, provided the origin of cytochrome P-450 was the same. (4) Addition of progesterone to incubations of deoxycorticosterone with soluble or insoluble rat adrenal cytochrome P-450 competitively inhibited 18- and 11beta-hydroxylation of deoxycorticosterone to the same degree. Addition of deoxycorticosterone competitively inhibited 11beta-hydroxylation of progesterone with the same system. Progesterone was not 18-hydroxylated by the system. From the results obtained, it is concluded that 18- and 11beta-hydroxylation have similar properties and that the binding site for deoxycorticosterone is similar or identical in the two hydroxylations. The possibility that the same specific type of cytochrome P-450 is responsible for both 18- and 11beta-hydroxylation of deoxycorticosterone is discussed.     

Adrenal P-450scc modulates activity of P-45011 beta in liposomal and mitochondrial membranes. Implication of P-450scc in zone specificity of aldosterone biosynthesis in bovine adrenal.

Bovine adrenal P-45011 beta catalyzes the 11 beta- and 18-hydroxylation of corticosteroids as well as aldosterone synthesis. These activities of P-45011 beta were found to be modulated by another mitochondrial cytochrome P-450 species, P-450scc. The presence together of P-45011 beta and P-450scc in liposomal membranes was found to remarkably stimulate the 11 beta-hydroxylase activity of P-45011 beta and also stimulate the cholesterol desmolase activity of P-450scc. The stimulative effect of P-450scc on 11 beta-hydroxylase activity diminished by the addition of protein-free liposomes to proteoliposomes containing P-45011 beta and P-450scc, thus showing P-450scc to interact with P-45011 beta in the same membranes. Kinetic analysis of this effect indicated the formation of an equimolar complex between P-45011 beta and P-450scc on liposomal membranes. P-45011 beta in the complex had not only stimulated activity for 11 beta- and 18-hydroxylation of 11-deoxycorticosterone but also suppressed activity for production of 18-hydroxycorticosterone and aldosterone. When the inner mitochondrial membranes of zona fasciculata-reticularis from bovine adrenal were treated with anti-P-450scc IgG, aldosterone formation was stimulated to a greater extent than that of zona glomerulosa. This indicates the aldosterone synthesizing activity of P-45011 beta in the zona fasciculata-reticularis to be suppressed by interaction with P-450scc. The zone-specific aldosterone synthesis of P-45011 beta in bovine adrenal may possibly be induced by differences in interactions with P-450scc of mitochondrial membranes in each zone.     

Isolation of two distinct cytochromes P-45011 beta with aldosterone synthase activity from bovine adrenocortical mitochondria

Two distinct forms of cytochrome P-45011 beta, with apparent molecular weights of 48,500 (48.5K) and 49,500 (49.5K), have been isolated from bovine adrenocortical mitochondria. Their amino acid sequences up to the 19th position from the N-terminus were only different at the 6th position (Val and Ala for the 48.5K and 49.5K enzymes, respectively). Each sequence was assignable to a distinct cDNA clone for cytochrome P-450(11) beta (Kirita, S., et al. [1988] J. Biochem. 104, 683-686), indicating that the two proteins originate from different genes in bovine adrenocortical cells. Both forms of cytochrome P-450(11) beta were capable of catalyzing aldosterone synthesis as well as the 11 beta- and 18-hydroxylation of 11-deoxycorticosterone. Thus, at least two distinct cytochrome P-450(11) beta species exist in the adrenal cortex and participate in steroidogenesis.     

Steroid 6 beta-hydroxylase and 6-desaturase reactions catalyzed by adrenocortical mitochondrial P-450.

The minor steroid hydroxylase activity of purified bovine adrenocortical mitochondrial P-450 is described. The results indicate that both P-450scc and P-450(11 beta) act on deoxycorticosterone and androstenedione to form 6 beta-hydroxydeoxycorticosterone and 6 beta-hydroxyandrostenedione (6 beta-hydroxylase), respectively. Both forms of P-450 also catalyze 6-desaturation of androstenedione to form 4,6-androstadiene-3,17-dione (6-desaturase).     

Purification and characterization of two distinct forms of rat adrenal cytochrome P450(11) beta: functional and structural aspects

It is generally accepted that the last three steps of aldosterone biosynthesis are catalyzed by a single enzyme, i.e., cytochrome P450(11) beta (P450XIB). We have previously reported that rat adrenal mitochondria may be capable of producing two forms of P450(11) beta which differ in molecular weight (49 and 51 kDa). In the present study we describe the purification, the enzymatic activities, and some structural properties of these two proteins. Using zona fasciculata mitochondria, the 51-kDa protein was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by means of octyl-Sepharose chromatography. In a reconstituted system the protein catalyzed 18- and 11 beta-hydroxylation of deoxycorticosterone, but exhibited no 18-hydroxylation or 18-hydroxydehydrogenation of corticosterone. The 49-kDa protein was isolated from zona glomerulosa mitochondria of rats kept on a low-sodium, high-potassium regimen. Using octyl-Sepharose chromatography, it could be separated from the 51-kDa protein. A reconstituted eluate fraction, containing the 49-kDa protein, converted deoxycorticosterone not only to 18-OH-deoxycorticosterone and corticosterone, but also to 18-OH-corticosterone and aldosterone. These findings indicate that the rat adrenal cortex is capable of producing two distinct forms of active cytochrome P450(11) beta. A structural relationship of the 49- and 51-kDa proteins was indicated by experiments involving limited proteolysis. Thus, digestion with alpha-chymotrypsin and V8-protease yielded very similar peptide maps for both proteins. During potassium repletion of potassium-deficient rats, the disappearance of the active 51-kDa protein coincided with the appearance of the 49-kDa protein. These results are suggestive of a post-translational processing mechanism converting the 51-kDa protein into the smaller 49-kDa form. However, the 49-kDa protein might also be encoded by a distinct gene, regulated separately depending on the physiological conditions.     

Cloning and expression of a cDNA for human cytochrome P-450aldo as related to primary aldosteronism

A cDNA clone encoding human aldosterone synthase cytochrome P-450 (P-450aldo) has been isolated from a cDNA library derived from human adrenal tumor of a patient suffering from primary aldosteronism. The insert of the clone contains an open reading frame encoding a protein of 503 amino acid residues together with a 3 bp 5'-untranslated region and a 1424 bp 3'-untranslated region to which a poly(A) tract is attached. The nucleotide sequence of P-450aldo cDNA is 93% identical to that of P-450(11) beta cDNA. Catalytic functions of these two P-450s expressed in COS-7 cells are very similar in that both enzymes catalyze the formation of corticosterone and 18-hydroxy-11-deoxycorticosterone using 11-deoxycorticosterone as a substrate. However, they are distinctly different from each other in that P-450aldo preferentially catalyzes the conversion of 11-deoxycorticosterone to aldosterone via corticosterone and 18-hydroxycorticosterone while P-450(11)beta substantially fails to catalyze the reaction to form aldosterone. These results suggest that P-450aldo is a variant of P-450(11)beta, but this enzyme is a different gene product possibly playing a major role in the synthesis of aldosterone at least in a patient suffering from primary aldosteronism.     

18-Hydroxylation of deoxycorticosterone by reconstituted systems from rat and bovine adrenals.

18-Hydroxylation of deoxycorticosterone was studies with rat or bovine adrenal mitochondria or with reconstituted systems obtained from these fractions. The reconstituted systems consisted of a partially purified preparation of cytochrome P-450 from rat adrenals and a partially purified NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase preparation from bovine adrenals. In some experimenta a soluble cytochrome P-450 fraction from bovine adrenals was used. Adrenodoxine and adrenodoxine reductase were shown to be the active components of the NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase preparation. Optimal assay conditions were determined for 18-hydroxylation by the crude mitochondrial fraction as well as by the reconstituted systems. In the presence of excess NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase fraction, the rate of 18-hydroxylation was linear with time and with the amount of cytochrome P-450. In incubations with intact rat adrenal mitochondria to which Ca2+ and an excess NADPH had been added, NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase increased the rate of 18-hydroxylation about 100%, indicating that NADPH-cytochrome P-45o reductase was to some extent rate-limiting. The rate of 18-hydroxylation of deoxycorticosterone by the reconstituted system as well as by intact mitochondrial fraction was much higher than the rat of 18-hydroxylation of corticosterone and progesterone. When the cytochrome P-450 preparation from rat adrenals in the reconstituted system was substituted for cytochrome P-450 from bovine adrenals, the rate of 18-hydroxylation decreased considerably. Under all experimental conditions, the 18-hydroxylation of deoxycorticosterone occurred with a concomitant and efficient 11beta-hydroxylation. Provided the source of cytochrome P-450 was the same, the ratio between 11beta- and 18hydroxylation was constant under all conditions and was not significantly different in the presence of metopirone, carbon monoxide, cytochrome c or different steroids. It is suggested that identical or at least very similar types of cytochrome P-450 are involved in 11beta- and 18-hydroxylation of deoxycorticosterone.     

The synthesis of aldosterone by the adrenal cortex. Two zones (fasciculata and glomerulosa) possess one enzyme for 11 beta-, 18-hydroxylation, and aldehyde synthesis

In order to establish the nature of the aldosterone synthetase activity in the adrenal cortex, we have used porcine adrenal, bovine adrenal cortex, highly purified bovine and porcine 11 beta-/18-hydroxylase, and antibodies raised against the latter enzyme. Mitochondria from two zones (glomerulosa and fasciculata) of the bovine cortex synthesize aldosterone, but those from glomerulosa are much more active than those from fasciculata. Partially purified (cholate-extracted plus ammonium sulfate-precipitated) extracts of mitochondria from the two zones are equally active in catalyzing all three steps in the conversion of 11-deoxycorticosterone to aldosterone. 18-Hydroxylase and aldehyde synthetase activities (18-hydroxycorticosterone----aldosterone) were completely precipitated from cholate extracts of mitochondria from bovine adrenal by antibodies to the pure porcine enzyme. No activity corresponding to any of the three steps in the conversion of 11-deoxycorticosterone to aldosterone was found in extramitochondrial fractions of the bovine cortex. Synthesis of aldosterone by the pure porcine enzyme was inhibited by antibodies to this enzyme and by metyrapone (an inhibitor of 11 beta-/18-hydroxylase). When fractions of porcine adrenal, resulting from purification of the enzyme from mitochondria, were exhaustively tested for any of the enzyme activities required for the synthesis of aldosterone, activity was found only in those fractions containing the 11 beta-/18-hydroxylase, i.e. no additional enzyme was discarded during the purification procedure. It is concluded that the only adrenocortical enzyme capable of synthesizing aldosterone in bovine and porcine adrenal is the well known 11 beta-hydroxylase, that the conversion of 18-hydroxycorticosterone to aldosterone is catalyzed by this cytochrome P-450, and that this step (aldehyde synthetase) requires the heme of the P-450 as demonstrated by the photochemical action spectrum.     

Functional expression of the cDNAs encoding rat 11 beta-hydroxylase [cytochrome P450(11 beta)] and aldosterone synthase [cytochrome P450(11 beta, aldo)]

Expression plasmids containing two cDNAs of a rat cytochrome P450(11 beta) family, pcP450(11 beta)-62 [Nonaka, Y., Matsukawa, N., Morohashi, K., Omura, T., Ogihara, T., Teraoka, H. & Okamoto, M. (1989) FEBS Lett. 255, 21-26] and pcP450(11 beta, aldo)-46 [Matsukawa, N., Nonaka, Y., Ying, Z., Higaki, J., Ogihara, T. & Okamoto, M. (1990) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 169, 245-252], were constructed and introduced into COS-7 cells by electroporation. Enzymatic activities of the expressed cytochromes P450(11 beta) and P450(11 beta, aldo) were determined by using 11-deoxycorticosterone, corticosterone, 18-hydroxy-11-deoxycorticosterone, 18-hydroxycorticosterone, or 19-hydroxy-11-deoxycorticosterone as a substrate. Cytochrome P450(11 beta) catalyzed 11 beta-, 18- and 19-hydroxylations of 11-deoxycorticosterone and 19-oxidation or 19-hydroxy-11-deoxycorticosterone at substantial rates, 18-hydroxylation of corticosterone at a very low rate, but no aldosterone production. Cytochrome P450(11 beta, aldo) catalyzed 11 beta- and 18-hydroxylations of 11-deoxycorticosterone, 18-hydroxylation of corticosterone and aldosterone production from 11-deoxycorticosterone or corticosterone. But neither 19-hydroxylation of 11-deoxycorticosterone nor 19-oxidation of 19-hydroxy-11-deoxycorticosterone was catalyzed by cytochrome P450(11 beta, aldo).     

Inhibition of bovine adrenocortical mitochondrial cytochrome P-450(11)beta-mediated reactions by imidazole derivatives and mineralocorticoid analogs

The effects of several imidazole antimycotic agents, an imidazole and several mineralocorticoid analogs on the cytochrome P-450(11)beta-catalyzed 11 beta-hydroxylation of 11-deoxycorticosterone and aldosterone synthesis were examined. Ketoconazole, clotrimazole, miconazole and etomidate were found to be potent inhibitors of the reactions, causing 50% inhibition of the 11 beta-hydroxylase activity at concentrations between 10(-8) and 10(-7) M. The potency of etomidate as to the inhibition of aldosterone- and 18-hydroxycorticosterone-production was found to be almost equal to that in the case of 11 beta-hydroxylation. Spironolactone and other newly synthesized mineralocorticoid analogs were also found to inhibit the cytochrome P-450(11)beta-mediated reactions. The ID50 values of these drugs for inhibition of the 11 beta-hydroxylase activity were almost equal to those in the case of the aldosterone- and 18-hydroxycorticosterone-biosynthetic activities. The results of kinetical studies indicated that one of the mineralocorticoid analogs, Compound 23-0586, acts as a competitive inhibitor for the cytochrome P-450(11)beta-mediated reactions.     

Reconstruction and study of a multi-enzyme system by 11 beta-hydroxylase steroids

The reconstitution of the steroid 11 beta-hydroxylase system based on the homogeneous proteins isolated from bovine adrenocortical mitochondria, cytochrome P-450 (P-450 (11 beta), 19-20.5 nmol of heme P-450 per 1 mg of protein), adrenodoxin (Adx) and adrenodoxin reductase (AR) was carried out. The reconstitution of the multienzyme system requires the presence of a non-ionic detergent due to the high hydrophobicity of P-450 (11 beta). Low concentrations of Tween 20 (below 0.015% or 115 microM) stimulate the reaction of steroid 11 beta-hydroxylation by improving the hemoprotein solubility. With a further increase in the detergent concentration, the reaction is inhibited due to the inactivation of the cytochrome and its impaired interaction with Adx. The electron transfer activity of adrenodoxin reductase and the dienzyme AR-Adx complex does not change within the Tween 20 concentration range of 0-0.4%. In solutions with the optimal concentration of Tween 20 (0.010-0.015%), the concentrations of AR and Adx providing for the half-maximum hydroxylation activity are 9 nM for AR and 280 nM for Adx. It was shown that in a reconstituted 11 beta-hydroxylase system, 75% of the reducing equivalents are involved in the formation of oxygen radicals, whereas 25%--in hydroxylation. 74% of the radical species are, in their turn, formed in the active site of the hemoprotein, while 26%--in the Fe2S2 center of adrenodoxin. The radical formation process predominates over the 11 beta-hydroxylation within a wide range of Adx/cytochrome ratios, i.e., 1.0-100. The hydroxylation substrate induces a 4-fold increase in the electron transfer rate by stimulating the enzymatic reduction of P-450 (11 beta), but only 35% of the additional reduced equivalents are consumed by the 11 beta-hydroxylation and 65%--by the oxygen radical formation.     

Cytochrome P-450 from mitochondria of bovine adrenal cortex: comparison of cholesterol side-chain cleavage P-450 with steroid 11beta-hydroxylation P-450 and immunochemical cross-reactivity between adrenal mitochondrial and liver microsomal cytochromes P-450.

Adrenocortical mitochondrial cytochrome P-450 specific to the cholesterol side-chain cleavage (desmolase) reaction differs from that for the 11beta-hydroxylation reaction of deoxycorticosterone. The former cytochrome appears to be more loosely bound to the inner membrane than the latter. Upon ageing at 0 degrees C or by aerobic treatment with ferrous ions, the desmolase P-450 was more stable than the 11beta-hydroxylase P-450. By utilizing artificial hydroxylating agents such as cumene hydroperoxide, H2O2, and sodium periodate, the hydroxylation reaction of deoxycorticosterone to corticosterone in the absence of NADPH was observed to a comparable extent with the reaction in the presence of adrenodoxin reductase, adrenodoxin and NADPH. However, the hydroxylation reaction of cholesterol to pregnenolone was not supported by these artificial agents. Immunochemical cross-reactivity of bovine adrenal desmolase P-450 with rabbit liver microsomal P-450LM4 was also investigated. We found a weak but significant cross-reactivity between the adrenal mitochondrial P-450 and liver microsomal P-450LM4, indicating to some extent a homology between adrenal and liver cytochromes P-450.     

Gerbil adrenal 11 beta- and 19-hydroxylating activities respond similarly to inhibitory or stimulatory agents: two activities of a single enzyme

A high level of steroid 19-hydroxylation is exhibited by adrenal mitochondria of the gerbil, Meriones, unguiculatus, that accounts for the ability of that species to produce nearly equal amounts of corticosterone and 19-hydroxycorticosterone (Proc. Soc. exp. Biol. Med. 165 (1980) 69-74). Inhibitors of steroidogenesis and a polyclonal antibody against bovine cytochrome P-450(11 beta) were used to determine if the agents would effect differential or parallel suppression of 19- vs 11 beta-hydroxylation by gerbil adrenal mitochondria in vitro. The inhibitors (0.1-60 microM) tested (listed in order of decreasing effectiveness) were imazalil, metyrapone, miconazole and 4-hydroxyandrostenedione. With each inhibitor the degree of suppression of 11 beta-hydroxylation was accompanied by a parallel decline in 19-hydroxylation. The addition of the polyclonal antibody preparation also produced equivalent declines in the rates of the two hydroxylation reactions. The addition of ACTH 1 microM to primary cultures of gerbil adrenal cells brought about nearly equal increases in the secretion of 11 beta- and 19-hydroxylated steroids into the culture media. These results support the hypothesis that the 11 beta-hydroxylase of gerbil adrenal mitochondria has the capacity to carry out 11 beta- and 19-hydroxylations with nearly equal facility.     

Structural analysis of multiple bovine P-450(11 beta) genes and their promoter activities

A bovine genomic library was constructed using a cosmid vector, pHC79, and bovine DNA partially digested by EcoRI. Bovine P-450(11 beta) cDNA, pcP-450(11 beta)-2 [Morohashi et al. (1987) J. Biochem. 102,559-568], was used as a probe for screening the genomic library. Ten clones carrying P-450(11 beta) genomic DNA were isolated from 8 x 10(4) colonies and classified into five groups (CB11 beta-1, CB11 beta-3, CB11 beta-7, CB11 beta-20, and CB11 beta-21) according to differences in the restriction endonuclease sites. Nucleotide sequences of amino acid coding regions of the five clones were determined by the dideoxy sequencing method using synthetic nucleotides corresponding to various parts of the cDNA as primers. The nucleotide sequences revealed that three clones, CB11 beta-1, CB11 beta-3, and CB11 beta-21, were pseudogenes. Amino acid sequences coded by the other two clones, CB11 beta-7 and CB11 beta-20, were identical with that coded by a previously described cDNA, pcP-450(11 beta)-3 [Kirita et al. (1988) J. Biochem. 104, 683-686]. The promoter regions of the five clones were introduced in front of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene of pSV00CAT and used to examine P-450(11 beta) gene regulation in cultured cells. The five recombinant plasmids showed cAMP-responsive CAT activities in Y-1 cells, a cell strain derived from adrenal tumor. The induction rates of the recombinant plasmids carrying the promoters of normal genes, CB11 beta-7 and -20, were larger than those of pseudogenes, CB11 beta-1, -3, and -21. CAT activities expressed by the promoter regions of the normal genes in the presence or absence of cAMP in Y-1 cells were almost equal to that by the promoter region of human P-450(SCC) gene. Though the promoter of the P-450(SCC) gene also showed cAMP-responsive CAT activity in I-10 cells, a cell strain derived from Leyding cell tumor, P-450(11 beta) gene promoter did not express the activity in I-10 cells.     

Isolation of aldosterone synthase cytochrome P-450 from zona glomerulosa mitochondria of rat adrenal cortex

A cytochrome P-450 capable of producing aldosterone from 11-deoxycorticosterone was purified from the zona glomerulosa of rat adrenal cortex. The enzyme was present in the mitochondria of the zona glomerulosa obtained from sodium-depleted and potassium-repleted rats but scarcely detected in those from untreated rats. It was undetectable in the mitochondria of other zones of the adrenal cortex from both the treated and untreated rats. The cytochrome P-450 was distinguishable from cytochrome P-45011 beta purified from the zonae fasciculata-reticularis mitochondria of the same rats. Molecular weights of the former and the latter cytochromes P-450, as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, were 49,500 and 51,500, respectively, and their amino acid sequences up to the 20th residue from the N terminus were different from each other at least in one position. The former catalyzed the multihydroxylation reactions of 11-deoxycorticosterone giving corticosterone, 18-hydroxydeoxycorticosterone, 18-hydroxycorticosterone, and a significant amount of aldosterone as products. On the other hand, the latter catalyzed only 11 beta- and 18-hydroxylation reactions of the same substrate to yield either corticosterone or 18-hydroxydeoxycorticosterone. Thus, at least two forms of cytochrome P-450, which catalyze the 11 beta- and 18-hydroxylations of deoxycorticosterone, exist in rat adrenal cortex, but aldosterone synthesis is catalyzed only by the one present in the zona glomerulosa mitochondria.     

Molecular cloning and expression of cDNAS encoding rat aldosterone synthase: variants of cytochrome P-450(11 beta)

Two distinct forms of cDNA encoding rat aldosterone synthase were cloned from an adrenal capsular tissue cDNA library. The deduced amino acid sequences showed that one of the enzymes (P-450(11 beta),aldo-1) had a long extension peptide composed of 34 amino acid residues while the other (P-450(11 beta),aldo-2) had an extension peptide identical to that of rat P-450(11 beta). Glu at the 320th position of P-450(11 beta),aldo-1 was replaced with Lys in P-450(11 beta),aldo-2. The amino acid sequence of the aldosterone synthase was highly homologous (81%) to rat P-450(11 beta). Constructed expression vector containing the cDNA for extension peptide of P-450(11 beta) and the mature protein of P-450(11 beta),aldo-1 was transfected into COS-7 cells. The cells converted 11-deoxycorticosterone into corticosterone, 18-hydroxycorticosterone, and aldosterone.