Properties and subcellular distribution of delta4-steroid (progesterone) 5alpha-reductase in rat anterior pituitary

The properties and subcellular distribution of anterior pituitary delta4-steroid (progesterone) 5alpha-reductase, which stimulates the conversion of progesterone to 5alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione, have been investigated utilizing 3H-substrate and a reverse isotopic dilution assay system. The enzymic activity was stimulated by NADPH but not NADH and exhibited a Km of 2.7+/-0.9 times 10(-7) M for progesterone. The substrate specificity of the enzyme for other delta4-3-ketosteroids and the effect of estradiol-17beta were also studied. 20alpha-hydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one was more reactive than progesterone, while testosterone was less reactive. Estradiol-17beta in vitro had an inhibitory effect on the 5alpha-reduction of progesterone. Studies on the subcellular distribution of the 5alpha-reductase activity indicate that the bulk of the activity was widely distributed amongst particulates sedimenting at 1,000, 15,000 and 100,000xg; with the 15,000xg pellet containing the most enzymic activity. The 100,000xg supernatant possessed only a small fraction of the total activity. After further fractionation of the 1,000xg pellet, the activity was distributed equally between the purified nuclear and cell debris-membranes fractions.