Expression in Escherichia Coli, Purification, and Functional Reconstitution of Human Steroid 5α-Reductases

The potent androgen 5α-dihydrotestosterone irreversibly derives from testosterone via the activity of steroid 5α-reductases (5αRs). The major 5αR isoforms in most species, 5αR1 and 5αR2, have not been purified to homogeneity. We report here the heterologous expression of polyhistidine-tagged, codon-optimized human 5αR1 and 5αR2 cDNAs in Escherichia coli. A combination of the nonionic detergents Triton X-100 and Nonidet P-40 enabled solubilization of these extremely hydrophobic integral membrane proteins and facilitated purification with affinity and cation-exchange chromatography methods. For functional reconstitution, we incorporated the purified isoenzymes into Triton X-100-saturated dioleoylphosphatidylcholine liposomes and removed excess detergent with polystyrene beads. Kinetic studies indicated that the 2 isozymes differ in biochemical properties, with 5αR2 having a lower apparent Km for testosterone, androstenedione, progesterone, and 17-hydroxyprogesterone than 5αR1; however, 5αR1 had a greater capacity for steroid conversion, as reflected by a higher Vmax than 5αR2. Both enzymes preferred progesterone as substrate over other steroids, and the catalytic efficiency of purified reconstituted 5αR2 exhibited a sharp pH optimum at pH 5. Intriguingly, we found that the prostate-cancer drug-metabolite 3-keto-∆ 4-abiraterone is metabolized by 5αR1 but not 5αR2, which may serve as a structural basis for isoform selectivity and inhibitor design. The functional characterization results with the purified reconstituted isoenzymes paralleled trends obtained with HEK-293 cell lines stably expressing native 5αR1 and 5αR2. Access to purified human 5αR1 and 5αR2 will advance studies of these important enzymes and might help to clarify their contributions to steroid anabolism and catabolism.