Androgen backdoor pathway

Desktop Application Bring the power of BioCyc.org securely in-house, with the abilities to create and edit PGDBs, perform metabolic modeling, and query/update using APIs. Androgens are steroid hormones that stimulate or control the development and maintenance of male characteristics in vertebrates, including the activity of the accessory male sex organs and development of male secondary sex characteristics, by binding to androgen receptors. Androgens are also produced by females, and are the precursors to estrogens. Present in lower concentrations than in males, androgens contribute to libido and sexual arousal in females. Important androgens include testosterone , 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and androstenedione . Testosterone is the major androgen in adult males, while DHT plays a crucial role in utero , triggering differentiation of the penis, scrotum and prostate. In adulthood DHT contributes to balding, prostate growth, and sebaceous gland activity. During prenatal development in mammals a different pathway operates, which bypasses the formation of these two intermediates. The pathway, which leads to early male sexual differentiation, has been named "the backdoor pathway" of androgen biosynthesis. The pathway was initially described from marsupials [Shaw00 ] and later reported from mouse [Mahendroo04 ] and humans [Fluck11 , Miller19 ]. This pathway may play an important role in castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients. Prostate cancer is dependent on androgen hormones, and androgen deprivation therapy is currently the primary treatment. However, while this clinical approach is initially effective, most cases progress to castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) over time. While CRPC is also dependent on the presence of DHT, it proliferates in the absence of testicular testosterone . It seems likely that DHT is formed via the backdoor pathway in CRPC tumors [Chang11a ], and potentially also in healthy prostate [LuuThe08 ]. Show This Pathway in Another Database{window.open(queryShowString(selectedOrgID,'pathway','META','PWY-8200','Pathway'))}) "Select a different organism database, and open a new tab showing the page for this pathway (if it exists) in that database") Page generated by Pathway Tools version 29.5 (software by SRI International) on Thu Jul 16, 2026, BIOCYC17B. MetaCyc version 29.6. Database lists include both predefined lists and lists that are saved as SmartTables that you can edit from your My SmartTables page. To add all organisms from a saved list, check the box next to the list name and then click the "Add" button.