The backdoor pathway to dihydrotestosterone

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is the androgen responsible for formation of the male external genitalia during embryogenesis and for most androgen-mediated events at male puberty. In most circumstances, testosterone (T) derived from the testis is converted to DHT by 5α-reductase type 2 in genital skin an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in endocrinology and metabolism 2004-11, Vol.15 (9), p.432-438
Main Author: Auchus, Richard J.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is the androgen responsible for formation of the male external genitalia during embryogenesis and for most androgen-mediated events at male puberty. In most circumstances, testosterone (T) derived from the testis is converted to DHT by 5α-reductase type 2 in genital skin and prostate. By contrast, the testes of pouch young of the tammar wallaby and immature postnatal testes of several species synthesize 5α-androstane-3α,17β-diol, which is the proximal precursor of DHT in androgen-target tissues. Human steroidogenic enzymes efficiently catalyze all the required steps in a route to DHT that does not involve the T intermediate, called the ‘backdoor pathway’. This alternative pathway of DHT production appears to explain how potent androgens are produced in some normal and pathological conditions when the conventional androgen-biosynthetic pathways fail to account completely for the of patterns androgen synthesis that are observed.
ISSN:1043-2760
1879-3061
DOI:10.1016/j.tem.2004.09.004