In the title steroid derivative, C(25)H(40)O(3), the fused cyclo-propane unit that corresponds to a part of the A ring has a β-configuration and the associated cyclo-pentane ring an envelope-shaped conformation.

A simple spectrophotometric method for the assay of steroid 5α-reductase (5α-SR) was developed in which 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT) and 5α-androstane-3α,17β-diol (5α-diol), metabolites formed in the NADPH-dependent reduction of testosterone with enzyme sources of 5α-SR, were measured by enzymatic cycling using 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in the presence of excess thionicotinamide-adenin...

Vivax malaria reemerged in Korea in 1993 and the outbreak has been continued with fluctuating numbers of annual indigenous cases. Understanding the nature of the genetic population of Plasmodium vivax circulating in Korea is beneficial for the knowledge of the nationwide parasite heterogeneity and in the implementation of malaria control programs in the country. Previously, we analyzed polymorp...

Background: The neuroactive steroid 3α,5αtetrahydroprogesterone is the most potent endogenous positive modulator of γ-amino-butyric acid (GABA)A receptors. There is evidence for a relation between neuroactive steroids and seizure susceptibility. Objective: To evaluate the putative role of counteregulator neuroactive steroids in the occurrence of seizures in patients with tuberous sclerosis. Met...

The outer nuclear membrane protein nesprin-3 binds the cytoskeletal linker protein plectin, which are proposed to anchor the intermediate filaments to the nuclear envelope. To investigate the function of nesprin-3 in vivo, we used the zebrafish as a vertebrate model system. Zebrafish nesprin-3 is expressed at the nuclear envelope of epidermal and skeletal muscle cells during development. Unexpe...

Here we examine the roles of two isoforms of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), GSK-3α and GSK-3β, in skeletal development. Both isoforms were unphosphorylated and active in chondrocyte differentiation stages during SOX9 and type II collagen (COL2A1) expression. Although knock-out of both alleles of Gsk3a (Gsk3a(-/-)) or a single allele of Gsk3b (Gsk3b(+/-)) in mice did not significantly affec...

Aging is regulated by conserved signaling pathways. The glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) family of serine/threonine kinases regulates several of these pathways, but the role of GSK-3 in aging is unknown. Herein, we demonstrate premature death and acceleration of age-related pathologies in the Gsk3a global KO mouse. KO mice developed cardiac hypertrophy and contractile dysfunction as well as s...

The biotransformation of androsterone (1), epiandrosterone (2), androstanedione (3) and DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) (4) by Penicillium lanosocoeruleum-a fungal species not used in biotransformations so far-were described. All the substrates were converted in high yield (70%-99%) into D ring δ-lactones. The oxidation of 1 produced 3α-hydroxy-17a-oxa-D-homo-5α-androstan-17-one (5). The oxidatio...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, elevates brain concentrations of the neuroactive progesterone metabolite allopregnanolone, an effect suggested to underlie its use in the treatment of premenstrual dysphoria. One report showed fluoxetine to activate the aldo-keto reductase (AKR) component of 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3α-HSD), which catalyses pro...