PMID- 10088659
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19990622
LR  - 20061115
IS  - 0031-3998 (Print)
IS  - 0031-3998 (Linking)
VI  - 45
IP  - 3
DP  - 1999 Mar
TI  - Decrease in the expression of the 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase gene in 
      human adrenal tissue during prepuberty and early puberty: implications for the 
      mechanism of adrenarche.
PG  - 384-8
AB  - Adrenarche is the increase of adrenal androgen secretion, mainly 
      dehydroepiandrosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, that occurs during 
      prepuberty in higher primates. This event takes place at about 6-8 y of age in 
      humans. It had been postulated that adrenarche might reflect an increase in the 
      17,20 lyase:17OH-ase activity ratio of microsomal cytochrome P450c17. However, 
      studies to demonstrate this mechanism have been unsuccessful. Because it has been 
      described that virilizing adrenocortical carcinomas have high 
      dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate secretion and low 3beta-hydroxysteroid 
      dehydrogenase (3betaHSD) activity, in this study we evaluated the possible 
      existence of maturative changes of the level of 3betaHSD type II mRNA in 11 
      normal prepubertal and early pubertal human adrenals. Adrenal glands from 
      subjects aged 0.1 to 13 y were obtained from organ donors, patients undergoing 
      resection of the kidney for renal neoplasms or necropsies with less than 6 h of 
      postmortem time. The expression of 3betaHSD type II gene was studied by dot blot 
      in all samples and by relative reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR in nine samples. 
      The size of the transcripts was evaluated by Northern blot. Hybridization was 
      performed using labeled human 3betaHSD cDNA probes. The uniformity of loading was 
      tested using labeled human beta actine cDNA. The relative intensities of 
      hybridization signals were quantified by scanning densitometry. The expected 
      bands after relative RT-PCR were eluted, and radioactivity was measured in a 
      scintillation counter. For the analysis of the results, subjects were divided 
      into two groups as a function of age: group 1, less than 8 y (n = 6; range 
      0.1-2.48 y) and group 2, equal or older than 8 y (n = 5; range 8-13 y). 3BetaHSD 
      type II mRNA expression, analyzed by dot blot and relative RT-PCR, was 
      significantly higher (p < 0.05) in group 1 (median and range 4.99, 0.50-8.00 and 
      16.3, 13.5-40.0 arbitrary units, respectively) than in group 2 (0.15, 0.12-0.75 
      and 5.66, 3.18-13.0, respectively). In conclusion, we have shown a decrease of 
      the expression 3betaHSD type II gene as a function of age in prepubertal and 
      early pubertal normal human adrenal tissue. This maturative change might be 
      involved in the mechanism of human adrenarche.
FAU - Dardis, A
AU  - Dardis A
AD  - Laboratory Research Unit, Hospital de Pediatria Garrahan, Buenos Aires, 
      Argentina.
FAU - Saraco, N
AU  - Saraco N
FAU - Rivarola, M A
AU  - Rivarola MA
FAU - Belgorosky, A
AU  - Belgorosky A
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - United States
TA  - Pediatr Res
JT  - Pediatric research
JID - 0100714
RN  - EC 1.1.- (3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases)
SB  - IM
MH  - 3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases/*genetics
MH  - Adrenal Glands/*physiology
MH  - Child
MH  - Child, Preschool
MH  - Female
MH  - Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
MH  - Humans
MH  - Infant
MH  - Male
MH  - Puberty/*genetics
EDAT- 1999/03/24 00:00
MHDA- 1999/03/24 00:01
CRDT- 1999/03/24 00:00
PHST- 1999/03/24 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1999/03/24 00:01 [medline]
PHST- 1999/03/24 00:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1203/00006450-199903000-00016 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Pediatr Res. 1999 Mar;45(3):384-8. doi: 10.1203/00006450-199903000-00016.