精细肝切片技术在药物代谢研究中的应用

一种新兴的生物实验技术—精细肝切片 (ｐｒｅｃｉｓｉｏｎ -ｃｕｔｌｉｖｅｒｓｌｉｃｅ :ＰＣＬＳ)技术作为介于器官与细胞水平间的实验手段 ,不需用胶原酶 ,切片技术相对简单 ,且保存正常组织结构、细胞联系及细胞极性 (ｐｏｌａｒｉｔｙｏｆｈｅｐａｔｉｃｃｅｌｌ) ,故较其它体外模型更接近在体代谢模式 ,而且在ＲＴ -ＰＣＲ测定ＣＹＰｍＲＮＡ诱导中 ,其诱导时间较肝细胞短得多[1] ,这些优点使它在体外药物及毒物研究中占有相当重要的地位。这种技术还可用于其它多种器官 (如肾、肺、心、脾等 ) [2 ] ;组织来源可以是各种实验动物 ,亦…     

基因敲除技术在微生物中的应用

随着分子生物学技术的发展,基因敲除技术越来越广泛地应用于动植物、微生物领域,成为研究生物基因功能最有力的工具之一。基因敲除技术在改造动植物、微生物基因组、研究发育生物学、鉴定新基因新功能、育种以及医疗领域都有应用价值。针对微生物方面,对实现基因敲除的各种原理方法,RecA系统同源重组法, Red系统同源重组法,基于自杀载体的同源重组法,基于温敏型质粒的同源重组法, CRISPR/Cas系统介导的基因敲除方法进行了总结,比较各自的优缺点,并提供一些成功案例以及各种方法相关的发明专利,以期对了解基因敲除技术的方法与发展提供参考。     

药物制剂技术在基因药物研制中的应用

基因药物是未来药物的发展方向,必须研究适宜的给药系统以促进基因药物的吸收和控制药效。基因药物的给药途径主要包括注射、口服、肺靶向、脑靶向和心血管基因转换等。所采用的剂型主要包括微球、脂质体、微乳等。本文就基因药物给药途径、所采用的主要剂型及各自所具备的优势作一综述。另外,简要介绍了基因药物给药系统的纳米技术。     

肿瘤化疗与药物代谢酶

药物代谢酶(DME)在药物代谢解毒和药物代谢活化中起着重要的作用,对组织器官的药物效应和毒性的易感性产生重要影响。DME在肿瘤组织和非肿瘤组织表达和活性存在差异。与常用化疗药物有关的药物代谢酶主要有细胞色素P450(CYP)、谷胱甘肽S-转移酶(GST)、尿苷二磷酸-葡萄糖醛酸转移酶(UGT)、巯嘌呤甲基转移酶(TPMT)和二氢嘧啶脱氢酶(DPD),这些酶均具有遗传多态性,在一定条件下可以被诱导,具有个体差异。     

基因敲除方法及其应用

基因（gene）是核酸分子中储存信息的遗传单位,是指储存有功能的蛋白质多肽链或RNA序列信息及表达这些信息所必需的全部核苷酸序列。基因敲除（Gene knockout）是指借助分子生物学、细胞生物学和动物胚胎学的方法,通过胚胎干细胞这一特殊的中间环节将小鼠的正常功能基因的编码区破坏,使特定基因失活,以研究该基因的功能;或者通过外源基因来替换宿主基因组中相应部分,以便测定它们是否具有相同的功能,或将正常基因引入宿主基因组中置换突变基因以达到靶向基因治疗的目的。基因敲除是揭示基因功能最直接的手段之一。     

克隆猪技术及其在转基因猪研究中的应用

哺乳动物核移植技术是一种可以获得基因组遗传信息完全相同的后代的生物技术。猪体细胞核移植技术包括以下几个环节：卵母细胞的体外成熟、供体细胞的分离和处理、体细胞的核转移、重构胚胎的人工激活、胚胎体外培养和胚胎移植。由于该技术在最近几年的迅速发展,很多实验室已通过该技术成功获得了克隆猪后代。核移植克隆猪技术的出现为生产转基因猪提供了一种有效的方法,并且是目前生产基因打靶猪的惟一方法。至今利用克隆猪技术已经成功获得了一系列的转基因猪和基因敲除猪。以核移植技术产生基因修饰猪目前正处于从基础研究走向应用的过渡阶段。尽管猪体细胞核移植克隆的效率（出生克隆猪数占所用卵数的比例）还不高,但是由于通过该技术能够对猪基因组进行特定的修饰,确保生产的克隆动物100％为转基因动物,从而大大提高了转基因猪的制作效率,可以预料猪核移植技术将会对医药业和农业产生重大的影响。     

小鼠模型在铁代谢研究中的应用

铁代谢在维持生命活动中至关重要,机体铁代谢紊乱会导致贫血和人类遗传性血色病等诸多疾病,对人体健康造成危害。在铁代谢研究领域,小鼠模型具有人群及细胞模型所不具备的优势,可以最准确的表现相应基因及通路在铁代谢调控中的生理作用。利用基因敲除及转基因小鼠模型,许多铁代谢相关的基因及调控通路被发现,有助于深入了解铁稳态调控的分子机制。这些小鼠模型为治疗铁代谢紊乱相关疾病潜在药物的开发和评估提供了理想的平台。     

转基因动物在microRNA研究中的应用

MicroRNA是一类在转录后水平上调节基因表达的非编码小分子RNA,在生物体生理、病理等过程中发挥重要作用．MicroRNA功能的研究将是未来人们关注的焦点．通过转基因技术建立的多种动物模型在整体水平揭示了基因的功能．近年,以microRNA为研究对象的转基因动物模型数量不断增加,构建策略不断丰富．通过miRNA过表达、敲除及敲减等手段已揭示了miRNA在肿瘤、心血管系统疾病等多方面的作用．转基因动物正成为microRNA研究中不可或缺的工具．     

药物代谢酶及转运体与前列腺癌药物治疗

药物代谢酶是催化体内摄入的各种药物进行生物转化的一系列重要酶,属于生物转化酶系中的一类.虽然药物生物转化的主要场所在肝脏,但在肝外组织(如前列腺)亦存在,而且可影响药物在局部的生物转化率.药物转运体在药物的跨膜转运中发挥了重要的作用,影响了药物在体内的药代动力学进程,药物转运体在组织中分布广泛;本文着重阐述这些药物代谢酶及转运体在治疗前列腺癌药物中的作用,及它们在前列腺中的特异性表达,同时讨论了在不同的治疗策略中与药物代谢酶及转运体相关的靶向作用.     

转基因技术在果蝇及脊椎动物心脏基因研究中的应用

转基因技术是一项非常重要的生物工程新技术,主要应用于生产药物蛋白及异种器官移植,建立疾病基因模型,提高和改善家畜生产的产量和质量以及研究新基因的功能及表达调控.重点综述了几个新的转基因技术-UAS-Gal4系统,热休克启动子载体,RNAi技术,原核胚胎显微注射及基因敲除技术在研究果蝇及脊椎动物心脏基因中的应用.     

Mechanism of intermolecular interactions of microsomal cytochrome P450s CYP17 and CYP21 involved in steroid hormone biosynthesis

Protein-protein interactions play a significant role in regulation of functional activity of cytochrome P450s. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the molecular interactions between steroidogenic enzymes CYP17 and CYP21 localized in endoplasmic reticulum membranes of adrenal cortex and involved in biosynthesis of corticosteroid hormones. In the present work, we demonstrate for the first time the direct interaction at molecular level between highly purified human recombinant cytochrome P450s in a mixed reconstituted system. The dependence of the interaction between CYP17 and CYP21 on concentration of the redox-partner — NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase — is demonstrated, and it is shown that electrostatic interactions play a crucial role in the interaction between CYP17 and CYP21.     

Metabolic activity and mRNA levels of human cardiac CYP450s involved in drug metabolism

Background

Tissue-specific expression of CYP450s can regulate the intracellular concentration of drugs and explain inter-subject variability in drug action. The overall objective of our study was to determine in a large cohort of samples, mRNA levels and CYP450 activity expressed in the human heart.

Methodology

CYP450 mRNA levels were determined by RTPCR in left ventricular samples (n = 68) of explanted hearts from patients with end-stage heart failure. Samples were obtained from ischemic and non-ischemic hearts. In some instances (n = 7), samples were available from both the left and right ventricles. A technique for the preparation of microsomes from human heart tissue was developed and CYP450-dependent activity was determined using verapamil enantiomers as probe-drug substrates.

Principal Findings

Our results show that CYP2J2 mRNA was the most abundant isoform in all human heart left ventricular samples tested. Other CYP450 mRNAs of importance were CYP4A11, CYP2E1, CYP1A1 and CYP2C8 mRNAs while CYP2B6 and CYP2C9 mRNAs were present at low levels in only some of the hearts analyzed. CYP450 mRNAs did not differ between ischemic and non-ischemic hearts and appeared to be present at similar levels in the left and right ventricles. Incubation of verapamil with heart microsomes led to the formation of nine CYP450-dependent metabolites: a major finding was the observation that stereoselectivity was reversed compared to human liver microsomes, in which the R-enantiomer is metabolized to a greater extent.

Conclusions

This study determined cardiac mRNA levels of various CYP450 isozymes involved in drug metabolism and demonstrated the prevalent expression of CYP2J2 mRNA. It revealed that cardiomyocytes can efficiently metabolize drugs and that cardiac CYP450s are highly relevant with regard to clearance of drugs in the heart. Our results support the claim that drug metabolism in the vicinity of a drug effector site can modulate drug effects.     

Inducible P450s of the CYP9 family from larval Manduca sexta midgut

Several related cytochrome P450 cDNAs belonging to the CYP9 family have been cloned from the midgut of larval tobacco hornworms, Manduca sexta. The first P450, CYP9A2, was obtained by RT-PCR using degenerate primers. Northern blot analysis of expression in the midgut using the CYP9A2 probe revealed a significant induction by a variety of chemicals. Diets supplemented with the wild tomato compound 2-undecanone caused a dose-dependent induction which peaked after 48 h. Induction was also observed after addition to the diet of indole-3-carbinol, phenobarbital, 2-tridecanone and xanthotoxin. Neither alpha-pinene, clofibrate nor nicotine were effective inducers. The CYP9A2 probe hybridized to two mRNA species, one of 2. 0 kb and another of 4.2 kb, suggesting cross-hybridization to other P450 mRNAs. Additional P450 clones of the CYP9 family were then obtained and sequenced. Northern hybridization revealed that the 4.2 kb band also hybridized to CYP9A4 whereas the 2.0 kb hybridized to CYP9A5. Despite being 91% identical, CYP9A4 and CYP9A5 were induced differentially by clofibrate and xanthotoxin. Multiple P450 genes from various families are therefore induced in Lepidoptera in response to plant allelochemicals or xenobiotics.     

Finding homes for orphan cytochrome P450s: CYP4V2 and CYP4F22 in disease states

The cytochrome P450 (CYP) 4 family of enzymes contains several recently identified membersthat are referred to as “orphan P450s” because their endogenous substrates are unknown.Human CYP4V2 and CYP4F22 are two such orphan P450s that are strongly linked to ocular andskin disease, respectively. Genetic analyses have identified a wide spectrum of mutations in the CYP4V2gene from patients suffering from Bietti’s crystalline corneoretinal dystrophy, and mutations in theCYP4F22 gene have been linked to lamellar ichthyosis. The strong gene–disease associations provideunique opportunities for elucidating the substrate specificity of these orphan P450s and unraveling thebiochemical pathways that may be impacted in patients with CYP4V2 and CYP4F22 functional deficits.     

Analysis of CYP450 gene allelic variants can predict ifosfamide toxicity in Mexican paediatric patients

Abstract

Context: Ifosfamide (IFA) is an effective antineoplastic for solid tumours in children, although it is associated with high levels of systemic toxicity and causes death in some cases.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether the presence of certain allelic variants of genes CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 increases the risk of toxicity in children with solid tumours treated with ifosfamide.

Materials and methods: A total of 131 DNA samples were genotyped by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using TaqMan probes. Toxicity was assessed using WHO criteria, and survival analysis was performed using Kaplan–Meier curves.

Results: The rs3745274 allelic variant in CYP2B6 was associated with haematological toxicity, affecting neutrophils; CYP3A4 variant rs2740574 was also associated with toxicity, affecting both leukocytes and neutrophils. Additionally, the CYP3A5 gene variant rs776746 was found to affect haemoglobin.

Conclusions: Our results show that allelic variants rs3745274 (CYP2B6), rs2740574 (CYP34) and rs776746 (CYP3A5) increase the risk for high haematological toxicity.

Clinical trial registration: 068/2013     

Chimeric cDNA expression and site directed mutagenesis studies of cytochrome P450s CYP2A1 and CYP2A2

Construction of chimeras and site directed mutagenesis were used to study the regioselectivity and kinetics of testosterone hydroxylation by the cytochrome P450s CYP2A1 and CYP2A2. Although these enzymes exhibit 88% sequence similarity, they catalyze very different regioselective hydroxylations of testosterone. Active chimeras inwhich the first 355 amino acids do not correspond to a single enzyme show broad radioselectivity, whereas the specificity of the parent enzyme is obtained if the first 355 amino acids are unchanged. Therefore, the region between amino acids 275 and 355 is important in maintaining regioselectivity. Single point mutants were constructed for the 13 amino acid differences in this region. For 26 single point and 2 double mutants all active mutants have the same regioselectivity as the parent enzymes. However, kinetic analysis of the CYP2A1 mutants showed that 4 single point mutants and 1 double mutant had kinetic parameters very different from the parent enzyme. All of these substitutions are associated with the conserved dioxygen binding region of the putative I helix predicted from the crystal structure of P450_cam. Deuterium isotope effects were used to determine any changes in the rate of reduction and to estimate the relative amount of excess water formation. Changes in reduction rates are not sufficient to account for the differences in V_max values. Therefore, it is likely that the amount of hydrogen peroxide formed is a primary determinant of V_max.