Molecular cloning and expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein from bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) transfers cholesterol from the outer mitochondrial membrane to the inner membrane where the cytochrome P450 side chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc) resides. This process is the rate-limiting step in steroidogenesis. StAR cDNAs have been cloned and characterized from a range of different species. To investigate the role of StAR in the amphibian system, we cloned a full-length StAR cDNA from bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in conjunction with rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The putative full-length bullfrog StAR (bfStAR) cDNA was 1862 base pairs (bp) in length, and the longest open reading frame (ORF) encoded a protein of 284 amino acids. Amino acid sequence comparison showed that amphibian StAR has a high degree of sequence identity, ranging from 62% to 98%, with StAR proteins of other species. Similar to other species, bfStAR contained two conserved domains, the mitochondrial targeting domain and cholesterol-binding domain, in the N-terminus and C-terminus of the protein, respectively. Northern blot analysis and RT-PCR indicated that StAR mRNA is expressed in the gonads and adrenal gland. Transfection of green monkey kidney (COS-1) cells with an expression construct for bfStAR revealed that it encoded 34 and 27 kDa proteins that were recognized by antiserum raised against the human StAR-related lipid transfer (START) domain.