FISH TESTICULAR 11-BETA-HYDROXYLASE - CDNA CLONING AND MESSENGER-RNA EXPRESSION DURING SPERMATOGENESIS

We isolated and characterized a cDNA encoding testicular 11 beta-hydro xylase, cytochrome P450(11 beta) from the Japanese eel (Anguilla japon ica) testis, The cDNA contains an open reading frame that encodes a pr otein of 511 amino acids, The predicted amino acid sequence shares 38- 48% homology with those of adrenal P450(11 beta) from mammals and frog . Transient expression in COS 1 cells confirmed that the protein encod ed by this cDNA had P450(11 beta) activity, Northern blotting revealed a single 1.8 kb long transcript of P450(11 beta), This transcript was not found in immature eel testes prior to an injection with human cho rionic gonadotropin (hCG), but it was present in eel testes after hCG injection.