Cholesterol Side-Chain Cleavage Enzyme

A mitochondrial cytochrome P450 enzyme that catalyzes the side-chain cleavage of C27 cholesterol to C21 pregnenolone in the presence of molecular oxygen and NADPH-FERRIHEMOPROTEIN REDUCTASE. This enzyme, encoded by CYP11A1 gene, catalyzes the breakage between C20 and C22 which is the initial and rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of various gonadal and adrenal steroid hormones. This definition is taken from the National Library of Medicine's MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) 2026 release, which is the standard vocabulary used to index PubMed and most medical literature.

Yes. Cholesterol Side-Chain Cleavage Enzyme is also referred to as Cholesterol Side Chain Cleavage Enzyme, Cytochrome P450 11A1, Cytochrome P-450 CYP11A1, Cytochrome P 450 CYP11A1 in different clinical, research and patient-facing contexts. The MeSH descriptor groups all of these synonyms under a single canonical concept so research and records stay consistent.

Cholesterol Side-Chain Cleavage Enzyme falls under the broader medical category "Chemicals and Drugs" in the MeSH hierarchy (tree numbers: D08.244.453.484.250, D08.244.453.915.212, D08.811.682.690.708.170.425.250). Browsing the related concepts on this page takes you to neighbouring topics in the same branch of medicine.

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