2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Functional analysis of steroid metabolizing enzymes in the rat retina
| Project/Area Number |
23592584
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Ophthalmology
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| Research Institution | Wakayama Medical University |
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Principal Investigator |
ITO Takao 和歌山県立医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (30315931)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
TSURUO Yoshihiro 和歌山県立医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (90207449)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2011 – 2013
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| Keywords | 網膜 / 神経ステロイド / 免疫組織化学 / ウエスタンブロット |
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| Research Abstract |
Neurosteroids are synthesized from cholesterol or other steroidal precursors in the central nervous system. Recent studies have shown that neurosteroids are produced in the retina and affect neuronal functions by modulating neurotransmissions. However, it is unclear where the steroid metabolizing enzymes are located in the retina and how they contribute to the retinal physiology. The enzymes 5alpha-reductase and 5beta-reductase catalyze the transformation of testosterone and progesterone into 5alpha-reduced and 5beta-reduced metabolites, respectively. Among androgens, 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone, which is produced from testosterone by the enzyme steroid 5alpha-reductase, is more potent androgenic effects than testosterone. Here, we investigated the localization of the steroid metabolizing enzymes in the rat retina by using immunohistochemistry with specific antibodies.
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