Mouse steroid 15 alpha-hydroxylase gene family: identification of type II P-450(15)alpha as coumarin 7-hydroxylase

We identified type II P-450(15)alpha as mouse coumarin 7-hydroxylase (P-450coh). Unlike type I P-450(15)alpha, the other member within the mouse steroid 15 alpha-hydroxylase gene family, type II catalyzed little steroid 15 alpha-hydroxylase activity, yet structurally there were only 11 substitutions between type I and type II P-450(15)alphaS within their 494 amino acid residues (Lindberg et al., 1989), and the N-terminal sequence (21 residues) of P-450coh was identical with that of both P-450(15)alphaS. Induction by pyrazole of coumarin 7-hydroxylase activity correlated well with the increase of type II P-450(15)alpha mRNA in 129/J male and female mice. Pyrazole, on the other hand, was less in males or not effective in females in inducing the 15 alpha-hydroxylase activity and type I P-450(15)alpha mRNA. Expression of type I and II in COS-1 cells revealed that the latter catalyzed coumarin 7-hydroxylase activity at 10 to approximately 14 pmol min-1 (mg of cellular protein)-1. The former, on the other hand, had a high testosterone 15 alpha-hydroxylase but little coumarin 7-hydroxylase activity. It was concluded, therefore, that type II P-450(15)alpha is the mouse coumarin 7-hydroxylase. Identification of type II as the P-450 specific to coumarin 7-hydroxylase activity and characterization of its cDNA and gene, therefore, were significant advances toward understanding the basis of genetic regulation of this activity in mice (known as Coh locus).     

Selective induction of coumarin 7-hydroxylase by pyrazole in D2 mice

Pyrazole, was given to DBA/2N (D2), C57BL/6N (B6) and AKR/N mice to study its effects on hepatic drug metabolism. A decrease in the total amount of microsomal cytochrome P-450 as well as in the activities of ethylmorphine demethylase and benzo[a]pyrene hydroxylase was found. On the other hand ethoxycoumarin de-ethylase was increased 1.5-2.5-fold (depending on the strain of mouse) and coumarin 7-hydroxylase as much as sevenfold (but only in D2 mice) after pyrazole treatment. This increase was much higher than that caused by phenobarbital, the only well known inducer of coumarin 7-hydroxylase. By reconstituting the mono-oxygenase complex after purification of cytochrome P-450 we found a 40-fold increase in coumarin 7-hydroxylase and eightfold increase in ethoxycoumarin de-ethylase after pyrazole treatment. This was found only in D2 mice. An antibody previously developed against a cytochrome P-450 fraction from the the D2 strain with a high coumarin 7-hydroxylase activity inhibited the microsomal coumarin 7-hydroxylase almost 100% after pyrazole pretreatment of the animals. In the case of control or phenobarbital-treated mice the inhibition was somewhat weaker. With the reconstituted mono-oxygenase complex the inhibition of coumarin 7-hydroxylase was almost 100% both for control and pyrazole-treated D2 mice. The data indicate that pyrazole causes an induction of the microsomal monooxygenase complex different from that caused by phenobarbital or 3-methylcholanthrene and selective for coumarin 7-hydroxylation or 7-ethoxycoumarin de-ethylation. This induction was strong in D2, weak in B6 and absent in AKR/N mice.     

Purification and characterization of a microsomal cytochrome P-450 with high activity of coumarin 7-hydroxylase from mouse liver

Phenobarbital-induced coumarin 7-hydroxylase is high in DBA/2J and low in C57BL/6N inbred mice; this genetic difference is encoded by the Coh locus on chromosome 7. The aim of this study was to develop an antibody specific for this cytochrome P-450 polymorphism. P-450 fractions, highly specific for phenobarbital-inducible coumarin 7-hydroxylase activity, were purified from DBA/2J and C57BL/6N mouse liver microsomes. Both proteins are 49 kDa, as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Soret peaks of the reduced cytochrome . CO complexes are 451 nm. Reconstituted DBA/2J coumarin 7-hydroxylase activity exhibits a V twice as high as, and a Km value 10-fold less than, the reconstituted C57BL/6N activity. Antibodies were raised in rabbit. By Ouchterlony immunodiffusion, both antibodies show 100% cross-reactivity with DBA/2J and C57BL/6N microsomes and purified antigens. Yet, DBA/2J but not C57BL/6N 7-hydroxylase activity is inhibited by the antibody to DBA/2J P-450. Both DBA/2J and C57BL/6N activities are blocked by the antibody to C57BL/6N P-450. Neither antibody has any effect on liver microsomal d-benzphetamine N-demethylase, ethylmorphine N-demethylase, aminopyrine N-demethylase, 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase, acetanilide 4-hydroxylase, or aryl hydrocarbon (benzo[a]pyrene) hydroxylase activity. The DBA/2J protein most specific for phenobarbital-induced coumarin 7-hydroxylation is designated 'P-450Coh'. Anti-(P-450Coh) precipitates a relatively minor 49-kDa protein from detergent-solubilized microsomes and from in vitro translation of poly(A+)-enriched total RNA of phenobarbital-treated DBA/2J mouse liver, whereas the major phenobarbital-induced P-450 proteins exhibit a molecular mass of about 51 kDa. The immunoprecipitated translation products correspond to a messenger RNA of 2100 +/- 100 nucleotides.     

Isosafrole-induced cytochrome P2-450 in DBA/2N mouse liver. Characterization and genetic control of induction

Mouse "cytochrome P2-450" is defined as that form of isosafrole-induced P-450 in DBA/2N liver most specifically correlated with isosafrole metabolism. Isosafrole pretreatment does not induce aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity ("cytochrome P1-450") in C57BL/6N or DBA/2N mice, induces acetanilide 4-hydroxylase activity ("cytochrome P3-450") more than 3-fold in C57BL/6N but not in DBA/2N mice, and induces isosafrole metabolite formation more than 3-fold in both C57BL/6N and DBA/2N mice. P2-450 was, therefore, purified from isosafrole-treated DBA/2N liver microsomes having negligible amounts of contaminating P1-450 and P3-450. The apparent molecular weight of P2-450 is 55,000, and the protein appears homogeneous on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. The Soret peak of the reduced purified cytochrome X CO complex is 448 nm. Purified P2-450, reconstituted in vitro, metabolizes acetanilide poorly and benzo[a]pyrene hardly at all. Anti-(P2-450) inhibits (90 to 100%) liver microsomal isosafrole metabolite formation, yet has no effect on aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase, acetanilide 4-hydroxylase, biphenyl 2- or 4-hydroxylase, or 7-ethoxycoumarin O-de-ethylase activities. 3-Methylcholanthrene induces anti-(P2-450)-precipitable protein about 12-fold in C57BL/6N and 2-fold in DBA/2N liver; 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (10 micrograms/kg), about 12-fold in both C57BL/6N and DBA/2N liver; isosafrole, more than 3-fold in both C57BL/6N and DBA/2N. Benzo[a]anthracene at maximal doses induces anti-(P2-450)-precipitable protein in C57BL/6N liver no more than 2-fold, yet is known to be a highly potent inducer of P1-450 mRNA in C57BL/6N liver. The sensitivity of the P2-450 induction process to isosafrole is inherited as an autosomal additive trait; studies of offspring from the C57BL/6N(DBA/N)F1 X DBA/2N backcross confirm involvement of the Ah locus or s closely segregating gene. In contrast, among crosses between C57BL/6N and DBA/2N, sensitivity of the P1-450 and P3-450 induction process to 3-methylcholanthrene or 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. These data suggest that, although P1-450, P2-450, and P3-450 proteins are controlled by the Ah locus, either a P-450 protein polymorphism exists between C57BL/6N and DBA/2N mice or subtle differences may exist in the interaction of various inducers with Ah receptor.     

Mouse liver P450Coh: genetic regulation of the pyrazole-inducible enzyme and comparison with other P450 isoenzymes

Genetic experiments with two inbred strains of mice, AKR/J and DBA/2N, show a single major gene inheritance of additive mode for pyrazole-inducible coumarin 7-hydroxylase. Intragroup variation in the enzyme activity further suggests the contribution of minor modifying genes to the final enzyme activity. Western blot analysis with a polyclonal antibody raised against the purified isozyme P450Coh (highly active in the 7-hydroxylation of coumarin) showed that a difference in the amounts of P450Coh protein between the D2 and AKR mice is the reason for the differences in the enzyme activity between the two mouse strains. Accordingly, changes at the regulatory level rather than at the structural gene would explain the genetic difference in the activity of coumarin 7-hydroxylase. This hypothesis is further supported by the identical Km values of the basal and induced enzyme. The inducibility of coumarin 7-hydroxylase by phenobarbital (PB) and its genetic regulation have been previously studied by A. W. Wood and colleagues ((1974) Science 185, 612-614; (1979); J. Biol. Chem. 254, 5641-5646 and 5647-5651). Our present experiments show that the regulation is the same for the pyrazole-inducible enzyme. Furthermore the experiments with anti-P450Coh antibody show that the PB- and pyrazole-inducible proteins have the same molecular weight and are immunologically indistinguishable. This suggests that PB and pyrazole may induce the same enzyme. Immunoinhibition of microsomal coumarin 7-hydroxylase is practically 100% for control animals and after pretreatment with pyrazole or PB. This suggests that in each case the same or immunologically closely related proteins are metabolizing coumarin and that the P450Coh may be the only P450 isoenzyme in mouse liver microsomes catalyzing the 7-hydroxylation of coumarin. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of P450Coh was found to be identical with those from Type I and Type II genes of the mouse P45015 alpha family for the first 21 amino acids. With rat PB-inducible P450b the homology is only 33%. Also the immunological properties of P450Coh are different from those of P450b. This may suggest that P450Coh has a closer association to the steroid 15 alpha-hydroxylase gene family than to the P450IIB subfamily of phenobarbital-inducible isoenzymes.     

Pyrazole is different from acetone and ethanol as an inducer of the polysubstrate monooxygenase system in mice: evidence that pyrazole-inducible P450Coh is distinct from acetone-inducible P450ac

The induction of liver microsomal monooxygenase activities elicited by pyrazole, ethanol, and acetone, all shown to be inducers of rat P450j and rabbit P450LM3a, has been compared in inbred strains of DBA/2N, AKR/J, and Balb/c mouse. Pyrazole strongly increases coumarin 7-hydroxylase (COH) activity in DBA/2N but much less in other strains. The effect of pyrazole on aniline p-hydroxylase and ethanol oxidase activities is also strain dependent: an increase was seen only in the DBA/2N strain. Ethanol and acetone were unable to induce COH, whereas aniline p-hydroxylase and ethanol oxidase were elevated about 1.4- to 3.3-fold in all strains. No strain difference could be detected in aniline p-hydroxylase or ethanol oxidase inducibility. There was a strong correlation between aniline p-hydroxylase and ethanol oxidase activities in every strain, whereas no positive correlation could be found between COH and aniline p-hydroxylase activities. Immunoinhibition experiments showed that a polyclonal antibody against purified pyrazole-inducible COH (P450Coh) blocked about 90% of COH activity, but only about 10% of aniline p-hydroxylase or ethanol oxidase in mouse liver microsomes. Monoclonal antibody 1-91-3 (raised against rat acetone-inducible P450ac) did not inhibit COH, whereas aniline p-hydroxylase was blocked 46-76% and ethanol oxidase 25-70%, depending on the source of microsomes. In immunoblots, anti-P450Coh recognized only its own antigen but not the P450ac, whereas monoclonal antibody 1-98-1 against P450ac detected P450ac and a corresponding form in the D2 mouse liver, but not the P450Coh. The purified P450ac and P450Coh had molecular masses of 52 and 50 kDa, respectively, on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. These antigens were expressed differentially in response to pyrazole, ethanol, and acetone: P450Coh was increased only after pyrazole treatment, but 1-98-1-detectable protein was elevated in D2 mouse liver microsomes by ethanol and acetone, but not by pyrazole. We conclude that mouse P450Coh and rat P450ac are not corresponding forms of the same isozyme, and that a P450ac-like protein, responsible for most of aniline p-hydroxylation and ethanol oxidation, is present in the D2 mouse liver. These two P450 isozymes are also dissimilarly expressed in the mouse liver in response to inducer administration.     

Structural function of residue-209 in coumarin 7-hydroxylase (P450coh). Enzyme-kinetic studies and site-directed mutagenesis

Residue-209 plays a critical role in determining the substrate and product specificity of cytochrome P450coh. In order to investigate further the structural function of residue-209 in coumarin 7-hydroxylase reaction, we measured the enzyme-kinetic properties of wild-type P450coh and its mutants in which residue-209 was substituted with various amino acids. In general, the Km and Vmax values for coumarin increased as the size of residue-209 became smaller and Vmax values decreased. The size of residue-209, therefore, was a principle factor determining Km, Kd, and Vmax values of P450coh. Although the polarity and charge also increased the Km value consistently, they altered Vmax and Kd values in an irregular manner. The substitution of serine for residue-209 increased the Vmax, while the substitution of lysine decreased it. Coumarin 7-hydroxylase activity was inhibited weakly by indan, but competitively and strongly by 2-coumaranone. Moreover, Ki values for the inhibitor were similar to Km values of the corresponding, mutated P450s. The results indicate, therefore, that residue-209 is localized in a proposed substrate-binding sequence 1 which binds to the 2-keto group of coumarin and directs its 7-position toward the sixth ligand of heme. Consequently, the identity of residue-209 determines not only the binding of coumarin in P450coh, but also the other reaction step(s) of coumarin 7-hydroxylation.     

Hepatic mitochondrial coumarin 7-hydroxylase: comparison with the microsomal enzyme

The specific activity of cytochrome P450-linked coumarin 7-hydroxylase (COH) of hepatic mitoplasts from DBA/2N mice is up to 55% as great as the microsomal activity. According to Western blot and immunodiffusion analysis and inhibition studies with anti-P450Coh and metyrapone, the mitoplastic P450Coh had the same molecular weight and immunochemical and catalytic properties as the corresponding microsomal enzyme. The inducibility of the two proteins by pyrazole and their genetic regulation, as studied with DBA/2N and AKR/J mice, appears to be similar. However, the mitochondrial electron transfer system was not able to support the COH activity of reconstituted microsomal P450Coh although the enzyme was fully active with the microsomal NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase. This indicates some differences between the two proteins with respect to their interaction with the electron transfer system. This was confirmed by the ability of anti-adrenodoxin reductase antibody to effectively inhibit the mitoplastic COH but not the COH reconstituted with purified microsomal P450Coh and NADPH-P450 reductase. We have previously found that P450Coh does not react with anti-P450b or anti-P450c antibodies, which recognize respective isoforms in rat liver mitoplasts. While P450Coh from microsomes and mitoplasts possess a number of properties in common, the mitoplast P450Coh represents a new subspecies of mitochondrial P450. Some characteristics of mitoplast P450Coh may be the result of post-translational modifications necessary for processing and translocation into the mitochondria.     

Genetic regulation of coumarin hydroxylase activity in mice. Biochemical characterization of the enzyme from two inbred strains and their F1 hybrid.

Hydroxylation of coumarin to 7-hydroxycoumarin by liver microsomes from control or phenobarbital-pretreated mice is 5- to 10-fold higher in the DBA/2J strain compared to the AKR/J strain, while activities of nine other cytochrome P-450 mediated oxidations show only minor differences. Mixing experiments with whole liver homogenates and subcellular fractionations do not reveal the presence of enzyme activators or inhibitors or competing enzyme reactions in either strain. Comparisons of pH optima (pH 7.6), heat stability at 52 degrees C (6 to 8 min for 50% inactivation), and Km values (0.45 to 0.50 microM coumarin) for coumarin hydroxylase show no significant differences in the two strains of mice or their F1 hybrid. Similarly, only minor differences in inhibition of coumarin hydroxylase by carbon monoxide, SKF-525A, menadione, and several other inhibitors of microsomal mixed function oxidase reactions are observed in the two strains. In contrast to these data, aniline and metyrapone, two compounds which bind to the heme iron of cytochrome P-450 to form ferrihemochromes, show differential and opposite patterns of inhibition of enzyme activity in the DBA/2J and AKR/J mouse strains. This latter observation suggests that a structurally different cytochrome P-450 may hydroxylate coumarin in these two inbred mouse strains.     

Roles of residues 129 and 209 in the alteration by cytochrome b5 of hydroxylase activities in mouse 2A P450S.

Cytochrome b5 stimulates the coumarin 7-hydroxylation activity of P450coh. A mutation of Arg-129 in P450coh, however, abolishes the stimulation. Moreover, this mutant P450coh binds loosely to cytochrome b5-conjugated Sepharose 4B, whereas wild-type P450coh binds tightly. Consistent with this, the mutation increases the Ka value for b5 binding approximately 6-fold. The identity of residue 209 also alters the stimulation of the activity of P450coh depending on the type of the substrates used and products formed. Coumarin 7-hydroxylation activity is greatly stimulated by cytochrome b5 only when Phe is at position 209, while cytochrome b5 stimulates testosterone hydroxylation activity of P450coh in which Phe, Asn, Ser or Lys substitutes residue 209. P450coh changes its rate of hydrogen peroxide formation depending on the identity of residue 209 and substrate used. Cytochrome b5 decreases the hydrogen peroxide formation of some P450coh whose activities are stimulated by the cytochrome; however, the decrease does not always result in stimulating the activity. The results indicate, therefore, that residues 129 and 209 play different roles in stimulating P450coh activity by cytochrome b5; Arg-129 is a key residue in the cytochrome b5-binding domain and is essential for the stimulation. Residue 209, however, alters the efficiency of electron transport for substrate oxidation as a residue which resides near the sixth ligand of heme and in the substrate-binding site.     

Selection of inducers: An important factor in characterizing genetic differences to induction of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase in strains of mice

The effect of various microsomal enzyme inducers such as DDT, benzpyrene, 3-MC, TCDD or phenobarbital on liver microsomal mixed-function oxidases and cytochrome P450 content in mice genetically responsive (C57B1/6J) and resistant (DBA/2J) to induction of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) was studied. 3-MC and benzpyrene administration stimulated liver AHH activity 6–8 fold in C57B1/6J mice but had no effect in DBA/2J mice. However, intraperitoneal administration of TCDD increased AHH activity in both C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. This increase was accompanied by shift in the peak of cytochrome P450 difference spectrum from 450 to 448 nm. It is concluded that genetic resistance to AHH stimulation in DBA/2J mice is influenced by the type of inducer used.     

Isolation and characteristics of coumarin-specific cytochrome P-450 (P-450Cho) from liver microsomes of DBA/2N mice, induced with pyrazole

Coumarin-specific cytochrome P-450 (P-450Coh) has been isolated from liver microsomes of DBA/2N mice induced with pyrazole. The induction effect was accompanied by a 5.8-5.9-fold increase in the P-450Coh content which made up to 14.4-17% of the total cytochrome P-450 pool in the microsomes. At the final step of P-450Coh purification, variously substituted Sepharoses (hydroxyphenyl-, cholate-, aminooctyl- and t-cytochrome-b5-) were used. The optimal scheme involved solubilization of microsomes with sodium cholate, hydrophobic chromatography on octyl-Sepharose, adsorption on calcium-tartrate gel and hydrophobic ion-exchange chromatography on aminooctyl-Sepharose. According to SDS gel electrophoresis data, the purity of P-450Coh was 95% and Mr was 50,000 Da. The amino acid composition of the protein includes 445 residues. At saturating concentrations of coumarin, more than 90% of P-450Coh are represented by the high spin form. The catalytic activity of P-450Coh was studied in reactions of xenobiotics oxidation.     

Purification and characterization of a liver microsomal cytochrome P-450 isoenzyme with a high affinity and metabolic capacity for coumarin from pyrazole-treated D2 mice

Microsomal coumarin 7-hydroxylase activity is regulated differently from several other monooxygenase enzymes, at least in mice [Wood, A. W. and Conney, A. H. (1974) Science (Wash. DC) 612-614]. Recently we found that in D2 mice this activity is strongly and selectivity induced by pyrazole [Juvonen, R. O., Kaipainen, P. K. and Lang, M. A. (1985) Eur. J. Biochem. 152-3-8]. This paper describes the purification of the pyrazole-inducible cytochrome P-450 isoenzyme. Because of the lability of the protein, a special procedure for the purification was developed. The procedure is based on a combination of hydrophobic and ion-exchange chromatography and the presence of 100 microM coumarin in the preparations throughout the whole purification. Coumarin effectively protected the P-450 from degradation and also converted the pyrazole-inducible P-450 to its high-spin state. This enabled us to choose only those fractions for further purification where the P-450(s) was in its high-spin state (rather than measuring the content of the total P-450). As a result the purified protein had an apparent molecular mass of 49.7 kDa, a specific content of 19.9 nmol/mg protein and a very high affinity and metabolic capacity for coumarin.     

Female-predominant expression of testosterone 16 alpha-hydroxylase ("I"-P-450(16)alpha) and its repression in strain 129/J

Using specific testosterone 16 alpha-hydroxylase activity as the basis for selection of fractions during purification, the cytochrome P-450 ("I"-P-450(16)alpha) has been isolated from livers of phenobarbital-treated 129/J female mice [K. Devore, N. Harada, and M. Negishi (1985) Biochemistry, 24, 5632-5637]. An antibody elicited in rabbits to "I"-P-450(16)alpha was used to determine the amount of hepatic microsomal 16 alpha-hydroxylase activity due to "I"-P-450(16)alpha in untreated females and males of the two mouse strains, 129/J and BALB/cJ. The activities inhibited were 0.03 and 0.3 nmol/min/mg protein in the 129/J and BALB/cJ females, respectively. No significant level of "I"-P-450(16)alpha-dependent activity was detected in the microsomes from males of either mouse strain. Immunoblotting of microsomal proteins with the antibody to "I"-P-450(16)alpha revealed approximately a 10-fold greater amount of a 54-kDa protein in the microsomes from BALB/cJ than from 129/J females (0.03 and 0.26 pmol/micrograms protein, respectively). A cDNA clone (R17) for phenobarbital-inducible rat cytochrome P-450 selected "I"-P-450(16)alpha mRNA of mice, indicating a high degree of homology between the mRNAs of mouse "I"-P-450(16)alpha and phenobarbital-inducible rat cytochrome P-450s. Northern and dot hybridization of total mouse liver poly(A)+ RNA with the R17 cDNA probe indicated that the specific content of the hybridizable mRNA was more than 10 times higher in BALB/cJ females than in males, and that the mRNA level in female 129/J mice was very similar to that of 129/J and BALB/cJ males. The repression of "I"-P-450(16)alpha in 129/J females was inherited as an autosomal recessive trait in 129/J and BALB/cJ pairs as indicated by the levels of mRNA in female F1 offspring and the "I"-P-450(16)alpha-dependent hydroxylase activity. Female and male mice of eight more inbred strains (AKR/J, DBA/2J, C57BL/6J, C3H/HeJ, NZB/J, A/J, CBA/CaJ, and P/J) were tested for levels of mRNA. The results showed that the levels of mRNA were always 5- to 10-fold greater in the females than in the corresponding males, although there was some variation in the mRNA content in the males from the different strains. 129/J females appear to be a genetic variant where the female-predominant expression of the mRNA is repressed.     

Genetic polymorphisms for a phenobarbital-inducible cytochrome P-450 map to the Coh locus in mice

Southern blot analysis suggests that multiple sequences homologous to a phenobarbital-inducible cytochrome P-450 cDNA are present in the rat and mouse genomes. A cDNA (pP-450b-5) to a major phenobarbital-inducible cytochrome P-450 mRNA species in the rat detected 6 polymorphic DNA fragments when hybridized to DNA from C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice restricted with endonucleases EcoRI, BamHI, and PvuII. Using the BXD recombinant inbred strains, five of these polymorphisms were mapped to the Coh (coumarin hydroxylase) locus on chromosome 7 of the mouse. The Coh locus has previously been shown to code for a phenobarbital-inducible enzyme, believed to be a cytochrome P-450, which catalyzes the conversion of coumarin to 7-hydroxycoumarin (umbelliferone). The DNA polymorphisms appear to reflect changes in either cytochrome P-450 genes or pseudogenes that are very closely linked to the gene responsible for differential coumarin hydroxylase in mice or it may represent a change(s) in the Coh gene itself. The region of the Coh locus on chromosome 7 may be the site of a cluster of cytochrome P-450 genes.     

Discriminating activation of CYP2B9 expression in male C57BL/6 mouse liver by beta-estradiol

The inducible expression of the cytochrome P450 2B subfamily was investigated in male C57BL/6 (B6) and DBA/2 (D2) mice, as well as their hybrids, B6D2F1, at the mRNA level. The expression of hepatic CYP2B mRNAs in B6 was lightly induced by beta-estradiol (ES), while that by phenobarbital (PB) or 1,1,1-trichloro-2, 2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethane (DDT) was prominent. Discriminating analysis showed a novelty that ES markedly induced CYP2B9 mRNA expression, whereas PB and DDT increased CYP2B10 more than CYP2B9 expression: albeit both mRNA species responded to all three inducers. Furthermore, the specific induction by ES of CYP2B9 mRNA in B6 male mice, but not D2 male mice, suggests strain dependency in the regulatory pathway of CYP2B9 expression.     

The induction of cytochrome P-450 by isosafrole and related methylenedioxyphenyl compounds

Using sucrose gradients, the Ah receptor and a 3-4S binding peak were measured in hepatic cytosol from Dub: ICR, C57BL/6, and DBA/2 male mice. Isosafrole, piperonyl butoxide, and 5-t-butyl-1,3-benzodioxole were unable to displace 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin or 3-methylcholanthrene from either the Ah receptor or the 3-4S binding peak, in vitro. In in vivo experiments, treatment of C57BL/6 mice with 3-methylcholanthrene caused a 4-fold reduction in Ah receptor binding 2 h after i.p. injection; whereas, isosafrole caused a 2-fold enhancement of the Ah receptor after 24 h. This increase in the Ah receptor binding following isosafrole treatment may be due to induction. 3-Methylcholanthrene treatment of C57BL/6 mice also caused a 3-fold reduction in the 3-4S binding peak 2 h after i.p. injection; isosafrole treatment had little or no effect on the 3-4S peak in C57BL/6 or DBA/2 mice. Both in vivo and in vitro data appear to demonstrate that there is no direct role for the Ah receptor or the 3-4S protein in the regulation of cytochrome P-450 by methylenedioxyphenyl compounds. Using Sephadex G-100 chromatography, a cytosolic protein fraction was obtained from C57BL/6 and Dub:ICR mice which was previously implicated by others as a carrier in the metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P). This fraction was applied to sucrose gradients and sedimented in the 3-4S region. Hence it appears that the 3-4S binding peak may be the carrier described by these workers.