Isolation and amino acid sequence analysis of bovine adrenal 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/steroid isomerase

3 beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/steroid isomerase has been purified to homogeneity from bovine adrenal glands. A single protein of molecular weight 42,090 +/- 40 containing both enzyme activities has been isolated. Approximately 86% of the amino acid sequence of the bovine adrenal 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/steroid isomerase has been obtained by sequencing peptides isolated from digests with trypsin and lysyl endopeptidase and by chemical cleavage with CNBr. The sequence obtained is identical with that of the deduced amino acid sequence of the bovine ovarian 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/steroid isomerase [Zhao et al. (1989) FEBS Lett. 259, 153-157], with the exception that the N-terminal methionine residue found in the bovine ovarian sequence is not present in the mature bovine adrenal enzyme. On the basis of the primary structure and comparisons with other NAD+ binding proteins, we propose a structural model of the bovine adrenal 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/steroid isomerase localizing the NAD+ binding site as well as the membrane-anchoring segment.