ABSTRACT
As mentioned above, transformation of the adrenal precursor steroids DHEA and DHEAS into androgens and/or estrogens in peripheral target tissues depends upon the level of expression of the various steroidogenic and metabolizing enzymes in each cell of these tissues. Knowledge in this area has recently made rapid progress with the elucidation of the structure of most of the tissue-specific genes that encode the steroidogenic enzymes responsible for the transformation of DHEA and DHEAS into androgens and/or estrogens in peripheral intracrine tissues9,11,39,56-59 (see Figure 12.4).
