Steroids, phosphorylated

A convenient route to steroidal aziridines from the diaxial IN3-olefin adducts, e.g., (99), which undergo elimination with lithium aluminum hydride, was developed by Galle and Hassner. Upon treatment with trialkyl phosphite, these adducts are converted to A-phosphorylated aziridines which are reduced by lithium aluminum hydride to the free steroidal aziridine. 

Figure 2 The classical activation pathway of SHR. SHRs (gray circle) are associated with chaperones (rectangles). After binding of steroid hormones (black circle) SHRs activate target genes in the nucleus. Additional regulation mechanisms, e.g., phosphorylation are described in the text.

Corticosteroids a chronic painless myopathy associated with the long-term use of corticosteroids is a particularly common example of drug-induced muscle disorder. It is almost certain that mild cases are overlooked because steroids are so frequently used to treat inflammatory myopathies such as polymyositis. Fluorinated steroids are particularly frequently implicated, and the incidence of drug-induced muscle disease is dose and time-related. The presence of muscle weakness can even complicate topical steroid therapy. Corticosteroid-induced myopathy is mediated via intramuscular cytosolic steroid receptors. The steroid-receptor complexes inhibit protein synthesis and interfere with oxidative phosphorylation. The myopathy is associated with vacuolar changes in muscle, and the accumulation of cytoplasmic glycogen and mitochondrial aggregations. 

Phosphorylation of cholesterol followed by the normal hydrolytic work-up gives the phosphate monoester, not the symmetrical pyrophosphate diester as previously claimed. Cholesteryl phosphorodichloridate and some related steroidal phosphorodichloridates have been prepared from the action of pyrophosphoryl chloride on the appropriate alcohol ... 

Several of these steroid derivatives underwent elimination of phosphorodichloridate anion, giving hydrocarbon products, rather than ester formation when treated with methanolic pyridine. Pyrophosphoric acid itself has been used to phosphorylate (2-hydroxymethyl)pyridine. ... 

Hormonal actions on target neurons are classified in terms of cellular mechanisms of action. Hormones act either via cell-surface or intracellular receptors. Peptide hormones and amino-acid derivatives, such as epinephrine, act on cell-surface receptors that do such things as open ion-channels, cause rapid electrical responses and facilitate exocytosis of hormones or neurotransmitters. Alternatively, they activate second-messenger systems at the cell membrane, such as those involving cAMP, Ca2+/ calmodulin or phosphoinositides (see Chs 20 and 24), which leads to phosphorylation of proteins inside various parts of the target cell (Fig. 52-2A). Steroid hormones and thyroid hormone, on the other hand, act on intracellular receptors in cell nuclei to regulate gene expression and protein synthesis (Fig. 52-2B). Steroid hormones can also affect cell-surface events via receptors at or near the cell surface. 

As we have noted, second-messenger systems, through phosphorylation of nuclear proteins, can influence gene expression. There is evidence that even the classical steroid... 

Steroid hormone receptors are phosphoproteins that have a DNA-binding domain and a steroid-binding domain. All steroid receptors have a molecular weight of 55,000-120,000. The state of phosphorylation appears to influence functional activity. 

Furthermore, post-translational modifications activate steroid hormone receptors in a ligand-independent fashion (Fig. 5), as shown for the ERa which is phosphorylated on serine residue 118 in the AF-1 domain by the Erkl/2 kinase [71]. In vitro, the serine-118 phosphorylated ERa is transcriptionally active in a ligand-independent fashion. 

The steroid hormone receptors are phophoproteins which are usually phosphorylated on several positions. The phosphorylation sites are mainly foimd in the N-terminal region of the receptors. Serine phosphorylation prevails. One rare example of tyrosine phosphorylation is described for the case of estrogen receptors. The consequences of phosphorylation for the receptor proteins are varied. It is conceivable, and in some cases experimentally proven, that it has influence on hormone binding, nuclear transport, DNA binding and transactivation. 

In animals all isoprenoid compounds are apparently synthesized from mevalonate, which is converted by the consecutive action of two kinases21 23 into mevalonate 5-diphosphate (Fig. 22-1, step b). Mevalonate kinase is found predominantly in peroxisomes, which are also active in other aspects of steroid synthesis in humans.2124 A deficiency of this enzyme is associated with mevalonic aciduria, a serious hereditary disease in which both blood and urine contain very high concentrations of mevalonate.23 Mevalonate diphosphate kinase, which is also a decarboxylase, catalyzes phosphorylation of the 3-OH group of mevalonate (step c, Fig. 22-1) and decarboxylative elimination of phosphate (step d)25 to form isopentenyl diphosphate. 

Maintenance of adrenal cortex Promotes secretion of steroids, oxidative phosphorylation in adrenal cortex Mobilizes and increases oxidation of free fatty acid in adipose tissue Increases gluconeogenesis in liver increases cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP) in adrenal cortex Decreases urea formation in liver... 

Steroids are members of a large class of lipid compounds called terpenes. Using acetate as a starting material, a variety of organisms produce terpenes by essentially Lire same biosynlheLic scheme (Fig. 3). The sell-condensation of two molecules of acetyl coenzyme A (CoA) forms acetoacetyl CoA. Condensation of acetoacetyl CoA with a third molecule of acetyl CoA, then followed by an NADPH-mediated reduction of the thioester moiety produces mevalonic acid (22). Phosphorylation of (22) followed by concomitant decarboxylation and dehydration processes... 

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