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ShareMay 25, 2010 — Michael E. Baker, PhD, a researcher at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has discovered that zebrafish -- an important animal model in disease and environmental studies -- could provide the means to help scientists eventually reveal the function of a mysterious enzyme linked to the steroid cortisol, and found in the human brain.
In people and other vertebrates, steroids like cortisol perform a variety of diverse duties, including regulating immune response, bone formation and brain activity. Too much cortisol, however, is unhealthy. High levels of the steroid have been linked to type 2 diabetes and may impair the brain's ability to store memories.
The human body regulates cortisol by employing an enzyme called 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-type 1 or 11beta-HSD1, which catalyzes the synthesis of cortisol in liver and fat cells. A related enzyme known as 11 beta-HSD-type3 or 11 beta-HSD3 is expressed in the brain, though its utility remains unknown.
In new findings to be published in the June 3 issue of FEBS Letters, Baker, a research professor of medicine who works in the division of nephrology-hypertension at UC San Diego's School of Medicine, reports that 11 beta-HSD3 (but not 11 beta-HSD1) is present in zebrafish, where it appears to serve an important role in fish endocrine physiology.
That makes the fish a potentially useful analog for cortisol studies, including discovering the purpose and function of 11 beta-HSD3 in human brains, which may be an evolutionary precursor to 11 beta-HSD1.
Interestingly, Baker found that the genomes of mice and rats do not contain 11 beta-HSD3, which means that inserting the appropriate gene for the enzyme in these animal models could provide additional avenues of investigation.
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - San Diego. The original article was written by Scott LaFee.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Michael E. Baker. Evolution of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-type 1 and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-type 3. FEBS Letters, 2010; 584 (11): 2279 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2010.03.036
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
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