Cloning and expression analysis of the 17 beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 12 (HSD17B12) in the neogastropod Nucella lapillus

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2013

Authors

lima, d (Author) Other; machado, a (Author) Other; reis-henriques, ma (Author) Other; rocha, e (Author) FCUP; santos, mm (Author) FCUP; castro, lfc (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Vol. 134

Pages: 8-14

ISSN: 0960-0760

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 19 Citations

Scopus - 23 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Natural sciences > Biological sciences

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-002-0CN

DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2012.10.005

Abstract (EN): HSD17B12 is a member of the hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase superfamily, a multifunctional group of enzymes involved in the metabolism of steroids, retinoids, bile and fatty acids. Whether the main role of HSD17B12 in mammals is in steroid or fatty acid metabolism is a subject of intense debate. In mollusks it has been shown that an HSD17B12 orthologue can convert estrone into estradiol in vitro, although its primary in vivo function remains unknown. To gain insight into its role in gastropods, we provide here the first cloning of Hsd17b12 in Nucella lapillus and its detailed tissue distribution through quantitative PCR. Furthermore, given that the endocrine disruptor tributyltin (TBT) has been reported to unbalance steroid and lipid levels in gastropods, we tested its impact in on NIHsd17b12 transcript expression. Our results show that NIHsd17b12 is ubiquitously expressed in all tissues analyzed, with higher levels in organs with high metabolic rates, such as kidney and digestive gland, a pattern consistent with an involvement in lipid metabolism. Exposure to TBT chloride at 100 ng Sn/L caused a decrease in NIHsd17b12 mRNA levels in digestive gland, after one and two months, while no effect was observed in gonads. Overall, these results suggest that in mollusks, as in mammals, this enzyme is likely to be involved in lipid metabolism, and emphasize the need to perform more detailed studies on its in vivo function, in order to understand its physiological role and the biological impact of its disruption by pollutants such as TBT.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 7