Department of Endocrinology, The Affiliated Hospital of Medical College Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
Int J Urol. 2011 Oct;18(10):691-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-2042.2011.02836.x. Epub 2011 Aug 17.
To determine whether steroidogenic enzyme expression is associated with the steroid secretory pattern of subclinical Cushing's syndrome (SCS) by investigating the mRNA and protein expression of CYP17 and CYP11B1 in SCS adenomas, normal adrenal cortices (NA), non-functional adrenal adenomas (NFA) and cortisol-producing adenomas (CPA).
Total RNA and protein were extracted from 20 CPA, six SCS, 15 NFA, and eight NA. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blotting analysis were performed to determine the mRNA and protein expression of CYP17 and CYP11B1 in different tissues. The expression of CYP17 and CYP11B1 in the adrenocortical tumors was compared expression in NA.
Expression of both CYP11B1 and CYP17 mRNA and protein was detected in all samples tested. The expression of CYP11B1 mRNA and protein was significantly higher in the CPA group than in the other groups and was slightly higher in SCS samples compared with NA and NFA samples (all P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in CYP11B1 mRNA and protein expression between NA and NFA samples (P > 0.05). The expression of CYP17 mRNA and protein in different tissues was similar to that of CYP11B1. Neither CYP11B1 nor CYP17 mRNA and protein expression was correlated with plasma cortisol or adrenocorticotrophin levels (all P > 0.05).
In conclusion, CYP11B1 and CYP17 are overexpressed in subclinical CPA and their overexpression accounts for the increased production of cortisol that is characteristic of CPA.
通过研究亚临床库欣综合征（SCS）腺瘤中 CYP17 和 CYP11B1 的 mRNA 和蛋白表达，确定甾体生成酶表达与 SCS 的类固醇分泌模式是否相关，从而调查 SCS 腺瘤、正常肾上腺皮质（NA）、无功能肾上腺腺瘤（NFA）和皮质醇产生腺瘤（CPA）中 CYP17 和 CYP11B1 的 mRNA 和蛋白表达。
从 20 例 CPA、6 例 SCS、15 例 NFA 和 8 例 NA 中提取总 RNA 和蛋白质。实时定量聚合酶链反应（PCR）和 Western blot 分析用于确定不同组织中 CYP17 和 CYP11B1 的 mRNA 和蛋白表达。比较 NA 中肾上腺皮质肿瘤中 CYP17 和 CYP11B1 的表达。
所有测试样本均检测到 CYP11B1 和 CYP17 的 mRNA 和蛋白表达。CPA 组 CYP11B1 和 CYP17 的 mRNA 和蛋白表达均明显高于其他组，SCS 样本略高于 NA 和 NFA 样本（均 P < 0.05）。NA 和 NFA 样本之间 CYP11B1 和 CYP17 mRNA 和蛋白表达无显着差异（P > 0.05）。不同组织中 CYP17 mRNA 和蛋白表达与 CYP11B1 相似。CYP11B1 或 CYP17 的 mRNA 和蛋白表达均与血浆皮质醇或促肾上腺皮质激素水平无关（均 P > 0.05）。
总之，CYP11B1 和 CYP17 在亚临床 CPA 中过度表达，其过度表达导致 CPA 特征性的皮质醇产量增加。
