Function of 11ßHSD2
Function of 11ßHSD2 Surprisingly, the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) is not specific for aldosterone, but can also be activated by other adrenal hormones such as cortisol. This lack of specificity of the MR is unexpected, since cortisol synthesis is not regulated by the renin-angiotensin system, and plasma levels of cortisol are 100 to 1000 fold higher than those of aldosterone. However, the MR is protected from cortisol by the enzyme 11-ß-dehydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11ßHSD2), which converts cortisol to the biologically inactive cortisone within the cells expressing the MR. 
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