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Saturday, August 27, 2011

Saturday's light reading....a novel pathway for DHT synthesis in humans?

Why Boys Will Be Boys: Two Pathways of Fetal Testicular Androgen Biosynthesis Are Needed for Male Sexual Differentiation
The American Journal of Human GeneticsVolume 89, Issue 212 August 2011Page 347
Christa E. Flück, Monika Meyer-Böni, Amit V. Pandey, Petra Kempná, Walter L. Miller, Eugen J. Schoenle, Anna Biason-Lauber
This paper demonstrates (once again) the value of studying marsupial systems - it turns out that humans, like marsupials and some rodents, are not only able to synthesize dihydrotestosterone from cholesterol without testosterone as an intermediate, but this alternative pathway is actually necessary for proper male development....is this pathway active in adults, or in men with prostate cancer? and if the answer to those questions is YES, could this pathway be a new target for developing therapies against prostate cancer?   

1 comment:

  1. This pathway does not seem to be active in adults. Moreover, 17hydroxy pregnenolone synthesis is still required, so CYP17A1 is a better target for prostate cancer.

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