WP4463 - Steroidogenic pathway - Homo sapiens

This pathway describes the production of female sex steroid hormones, which is known as steroidogenesis. Two cell types are involved: theca and granulosa cells.
The final product for this pathway are estrogens (among others 17-beta-estradiol), which are produced from cholesterol.
In the theca cell, this process is controlled by the luteinizing hormone (LH), after which androgen molecules diffuse into the granulosa cells.
When the follicles reach maturity, the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) stimulates the granulosa cell to convert androgens to estrogens.