CYP8B1

158213124ENSG00000180432ENSMUSG00000050445Q9UNU6O88962NM_004391NM_010012NP_004382NP_034142CYP8B1 (cytochrome P450, family 8, subfamily B, polypeptide 1) also known as sterol 12-alpha-hydroxylase is a protein which in humans is encoded by the CYP8B1 gene. CYP8B1 (cytochrome P450, family 8, subfamily B, polypeptide 1) also known as sterol 12-alpha-hydroxylase is a protein which in humans is encoded by the CYP8B1 gene. This gene encodes a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily of enzymes. The cytochrome P450 proteins are monooxygenases which catalyze many reactions involved in drug metabolism and synthesis of cholesterol, steroids and other lipids. CYP8B1 is an endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein and catalyzes the conversion of 7 alpha-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one into 7-alpha,12-alpha-dihydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one. The balance between these two steroids determines the relative amounts of the two primary bile acids, cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid, both of which are secreted in the bile. In the intestine these bile acids affect the solubility of cholesterol and other lipids, promoting their absorption. CYP8B1 is unique among the cytochrome P450 genes in that it is intronless. This article incorporates text from the United States National Library of Medicine, which is in the public domain.