This gene encodes a member of the aldo/keto reductase superfamily, which consists of more than 40 known enzymes and proteins. These enzymes catalyze the conversion of aldehydes and ketones to their corresponding alcohols by utilizing NADH and/or NADPH as cofactors. The enzymes display overlapping but distinct substrate specificity. This specific enzyme, AKR1C1, among other reactions, catalyzes the reduction of progesterone to the inactive form 20-alpha-hydroxy-progesterone. The AKR1C1 gene shares high sequence identity with three other gene members, and is clustered with those three genes at chromosome 10p15-p14.[6]
Qin KN, New MI, Cheng KC (Dec 1993). "Molecular cloning of multiple cDNAs encoding human enzymes structurally related to 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase". The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 46 (6): 673–9. doi:10.1016/0960-0760(93)90308-J. PMID8274401. S2CID36210133.
Couture JF, Legrand P, Cantin L, Luu-The V, Labrie F, Breton R (Aug 2003). "Human 20alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase: crystallographic and site-directed mutagenesis studies lead to the identification of an alternative binding site for C21-steroids". Journal of Molecular Biology. 331 (3): 593–604. doi:10.1016/S0022-2836(03)00762-9. PMID12899831.
Agapova OA, Yang P, Wang WH, Lane DA, Clark AF, Weinstein BI, Hernandez MR (Oct 2003). "Altered expression of 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases in human glaucomatous optic nerve head astrocytes". Neurobiology of Disease. 14 (1): 63–73. doi:10.1016/S0969-9961(03)00101-3. PMID13678667. S2CID21159141.
PDB gallery
1ihi: Crystal Structure of Human Type III 3-alpha-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase/Bile Acid Binding Protein (AKR1C2) Complexed with NADP+ and Ursodeoxycholate
1j96: Human 3alpha-HSD type 3 in Ternary Complex with NADP and Testosterone
1mrq: Crystal structure of human 20alpha-HSD in ternary complex with NADP and 20alpha-hydroxy-progesterone
1xjb: Crystal structure of human type 3 3alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in complex with NADP(H), citrate and acetate molecules
2hdj: Crystal structure of human type 3 3alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in complex with NADP(H)