Rat Steroid 21-hydroxylase, CYP21A2 ELI

A cytochrome P450 monooxygenase that plays a major role in adrenal steroidogenesis.

Catalyzes the hydroxylation at C-21 of progesterone and 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone to respectively form 11-deoxycorticosterone and 11-deoxycortisol, intermediate metabolites in the biosynthetic pathway of mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids.

Mechanistically, uses molecular oxygen inserting one oxygen atom into a substrate, and reducing the second into a water molecule, with two electrons provided by NADPH via cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR; NADPH-ferrihemoprotein reductase).