Biomaterial Database

Regulation of hamster adrenal 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase activity. 1980

J G Lehoux, and B Preiss

In the adrenal gland of the hamster, the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A reductase [mevalonate:NADP+ oxidoreductase (acylating CoA); EC 1.1.1.34] is mainly located in the postmitochondria fraction. This enzyme exhibits a diurnal rhythm, with a maximum at 1900 h. Peak activity levels are about 1667 pmol/mg protein . min, roughly 8 times the minimum levels. Plasma corticosteroid concentrations closely parallel reductase activity levels. The administration of ACTH or metyrapone (a drug which increases in vivo ACTH secretion) to hamsters enhanced the adrenal reductase activity, whereas aminoglutethimide, an inhibitor of the side chain cleavage of cholesterol, diminished it. The feeding of a 5% cholesterol diet and treatment with 4-aminopyrazolopyrimidine resulted in an increase and a decrease in plasma cholesterol, respectively. Neither treatment significantly altered adrenal 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase activity or the cholesterol content of the gland. Hamster adrenals contain very little free cholesterol (7-11 microgram/mg protein) and even less esterified cholesterol (0.5-2.0 microgram/mg protein). These findings suggest that in the hamster the adrenal gland may be largely autonomous in cholesterol production.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007700	Kinetics	The rate dynamics in chemical or physical systems.
D008297	Male		Males
D008797	Metyrapone	An inhibitor of the enzyme STEROID 11-BETA-MONOOXYGENASE. It is used as a test of the feedback hypothalamic-pituitary mechanism in the diagnosis of CUSHING SYNDROME.	Methbipyranone,Methopyrapone,Metopiron,Metopirone,Métopirone,SU 4885
D008798	Mevalonic Acid	A dihydroxy monocarboxylic acid and precursor in the biosynthetic pathway known as the mevalonate pathway, which produces terpenes and steroids that are vital for diverse cellular functions.	Mevalonate,Acid, Mevalonic
D002784	Cholesterol	The principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in animal fats and oils.	Epicholesterol
D002788	Cholesterol Esters	Fatty acid esters of cholesterol which constitute about two-thirds of the cholesterol in the plasma. The accumulation of cholesterol esters in the arterial intima is a characteristic feature of atherosclerosis.	Cholesterol Ester,Cholesteryl Ester,Cholesteryl Esters,Ester, Cholesterol,Ester, Cholesteryl,Esters, Cholesterol,Esters, Cholesteryl
D002791	Cholesterol, Dietary	Cholesterol present in food, especially in animal products.	Dietary Cholesterol
D002940	Circadian Rhythm	The regular recurrence, in cycles of about 24 hours, of biological processes or activities, such as sensitivity to drugs or environmental and physiological stimuli.	Diurnal Rhythm,Nyctohemeral Rhythm,Twenty-Four Hour Rhythm,Nycthemeral Rhythm,Circadian Rhythms,Diurnal Rhythms,Nycthemeral Rhythms,Nyctohemeral Rhythms,Rhythm, Circadian,Rhythm, Diurnal,Rhythm, Nycthemeral,Rhythm, Nyctohemeral,Rhythm, Twenty-Four Hour,Rhythms, Circadian,Rhythms, Diurnal,Rhythms, Nycthemeral,Rhythms, Nyctohemeral,Rhythms, Twenty-Four Hour,Twenty Four Hour Rhythm,Twenty-Four Hour Rhythms
D006224	Cricetinae	A subfamily in the family MURIDAE, comprising the hamsters. Four of the more common genera are Cricetus, CRICETULUS; MESOCRICETUS; and PHODOPUS.	Cricetus,Hamsters,Hamster
D006903	Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases	Enzymes that catalyze the reversible reduction of alpha-carboxyl group of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A to yield MEVALONIC ACID.	HMG CoA Reductases,3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA Reductase,HMG CoA Reductase,Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductase,3 Hydroxy 3 methylglutaryl CoA Reductase,CoA Reductase, 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl,Reductase, 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA