Cloning and characterization of the NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase gene (CPR) from Candida bombicola

Candida bombicola is a yeast with at least two appealing features. The species can grow on alkanes when provided as the sole carbon source, and it produces glycolipids, which have several industrial, cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. Both metabolic processes require in their pathway the activity of cytochrome P450 monooxygenase. This enzyme needs and gets reducing equivalents from NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR). The CPR gene of Candida bombicola was isolated using degenerate PCR and genomic walking. The gene encodes an enzyme of 687 amino acids, which shows homology with known CPRs of other species. The functionality of the gene was proven by heterologous expression in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein exhibited NADPH-dependent cytochrome c reducing activity. Cloning and characterization of this enzyme is an important step in the study of the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase system of Candida bombicola. The GenBank accession number of the sequence described in this article is EF050789.     

Hepatic gene expression changes in mouse models with liver-specific deletion or global suppression of the NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase gene. Mechanistic implications for the regulation of microsomal cytochrome P450 and the fatty liver phenotype

NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) is an essential component for the function of many enzymes, including microsomal cytochrome P450 (P450) monooxygenases and heme oxygenases. In liver-Cpr-null (with liver-specific Cpr deletion) and Cpr-low (with reduced CPR expression in all organs examined) mouse models, a reduced serum cholesterol level and an induction of hepatic P450s were observed, whereas hepatomegaly and fatty liver were only observed in the liver-Cpr-null model. Our goal was to identify hepatic gene expression changes related to these phenotypes. Cpr-lox mice (with a floxed Cpr gene and normal CPR expression) were used as the control. Through microarray analysis, we identified many genes that were differentially expressed among the three groups of mice. We also recognized the 12 gene ontology terms that contained the most significantly changed gene expression in at least one of the two mouse models. We further uncovered potential mechanisms, such as an increased activation of constitutive androstane receptor and a decreased activation of peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor-alpha by precursors of cholesterol biosynthesis, that underlie common changes (e.g. induction of multiple P450s and suppression of genes for fatty acid metabolism) in response to CPR loss in the two mouse models. Additionally, we observed model-specific gene expression changes, such as the induction of a fatty-acid translocase (Cd36 antigen) and the suppression of carnitine O-palmitoyltransferase 1 (Cpt1a) and acyl-CoA synthetase long chain family member 1 (Acsl1), that are potentially responsible for the severe hepatic lipidosis and an altered fatty acid profile observed in liver-Cpr-null mice.     

The NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase gene from Gibberella fujikuroi is essential for gibberellin biosynthesis

The fungus Gibberella fujikuroi is used for the commercial production of gibberellins (GAs), which it produces in very large quantities. Four of the seven GA biosynthetic genes in this species encode cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, which function in association with NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductases (CPRs) that mediate the transfer of electrons from NADPH to the P450 monooxygenases. Only one cpr gene (cpr-Gf) was found in G. fujikuroi and cloned by a PCR approach. The encoded protein contains the conserved CPR functional domains, including the FAD, FMN, and NADPH binding motifs. cpr-Gf disruption mutants were viable but showed a reduced growth rate. Furthermore, disruption resulted in total loss of GA(3), GA(4), and GA(7) production, but low levels of non-hydroxylated C(20)-GAs (GA(15) and GA(24)) were still detected. In addition, the knock-out mutants were much more sensitive to benzoate than the wild type due to loss of activity of another P450 monooxygenase, the detoxifying enzyme, benzoate p-hydroxylase. The UV-induced mutant of G. fujikuroi, SG138, which was shown to be blocked at most of the GA biosynthetic steps catalyzed by P450 monooxygenases, displayed the same phenotype. Sequence analysis of the mutant cpr allele in SG138 revealed a nonsense mutation at amino acid position 627. The mutant was complemented with the cpr-Gf and the Aspergillus niger cprA genes, both genes fully restoring the ability to produce GAs. Northern blot analysis revealed co-regulated expression of the cpr-Gf gene and the GA biosynthetic genes P450-1, P450-2, P450-4 under GA production conditions (nitrogen starvation). In addition, expression of cpr-Gf is induced by benzoate. These results indicate that CPR-Gf is the main but not the only electron donor for several P450 monooxygenases from primary and secondary metabolism.     

CPR和P450基因在昆虫抗药性中的作用研究进展

P450酶系在昆虫代谢农药中有重要作用,NADPH-细胞色素P450还原酶（NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase,CPR）和细胞色素P450（P450）在该酶系起核心作用。昆虫具有P450超基因家族,但只有一个单一的CPR基因,CPR是昆虫所有参与农药代谢的P450酶的唯一电子供体,其影响P450活性。P450基因的高水平表达在害虫抗药性中具有重要作用,P450基因介导的昆虫抗药性是最重要的代谢抗性类型。不同P450基因的高表达的调控机制不同,引起P450基因过量表达的原因可能有P450基因的编码区突变、顺式作用元件和反式作用因子变化、基因扩增等。细胞色素P450介导的抗药性存在一定程度的进化可塑性,即同种昆虫不同种群对相同的农药产生抗药性时,导致抗性产生的P450基因不同;同一昆虫品系在某种农药的抗性选择压力下,影响抗性的P450基因的种类和表达特性会随着持续的农药选择而发生变化。最近的研究显示,CPR的变异和昆虫抗药性相关,但是昆虫CPR基因介导抗药性的机制还缺乏深入研究。全面阐释P450酶系介导昆虫抗药性的机制、建立基于P450基因表达量变化与CPR突变的抗性分子标记,对于害虫抗药性治理具有重要意义。     

昆虫基因启动子及细胞色素P450基因启动子研究进展

细胞色素P450是一类重要的解毒酶系。昆虫在各种内源或外源性有毒物质的胁迫下,通过调控体内细胞色素P450的过表达,对有毒化合物进行解毒代谢,从而适应不利环境。在昆虫体内,P450基因表达的调控主要发生在转录水平上,启动子作为基因的一部分,能够与RNA聚合酶结合形成转录起始复合体,进而控制基因表达的起始时间和表达程度。基于此,就昆虫启动子的分析及功能验证的主要方法、昆虫启动子的结构特征及昆虫细胞色素P450基因启动予的一些研究进展进行概述,以期为昆虫细胞色素P450基因启动子的深入研究提供借鉴。     

Biodiversity of the P450 catalytic cycle: yeast cytochrome b5/NADH cytochrome b5 reductase complex efficiently drives the entire sterol 14-demethylation (CYP51) reaction

The widely accepted catalytic cycle of cytochromes P450 (CYP) involves the electron transfer from NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR), with a potential for second electron donation from the microsomal cytochrome b5/NADH cytochrome b5 reductase system. The latter system only supported CYP reactions inefficiently. Using purified proteins including Candida albicans CYP51 and yeast NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase, cytochrome b5 and NADH cytochrome b5 reductase, we show here that fungal CYP51 mediated sterol 14alpha-demethylation can be wholly and efficiently supported by the cytochrome b5/NADH cytochrome b5 reductase electron transport system. This alternative catalytic cycle, where both the first and second electrons were donated via the NADH cytochrome b5 electron transport system, can account for the continued ergosterol production seen in yeast strains containing a disruption of the gene encoding CPR.     

The versatility of the fungal cytochrome P450 monooxygenase system is instrumental in xenobiotic detoxification

Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) catalyse diverse reactions and are key enzymes in fungal primary and secondary metabolism, and xenobiotic detoxification. CYP enzymatic properties and substrate specificity determine the reaction outcome. However, CYP-mediated reactions may also be influenced by their redox partners. Filamentous fungi with numerous CYPs often possess multiple microsomal redox partners, cytochrome P450 reductases (CPRs). In the plant pathogenic ascomycete Cochliobolus lunatus we recently identified two CPR paralogues, CPR1 and CPR2. Our objective was to functionally characterize two endogenous fungal cytochrome P450 systems and elucidate the putative physiological roles of CPR1 and CPR2. We reconstituted both CPRs with CYP53A15, or benzoate 4-hydroxylase from C. lunatus, which is crucial in the detoxification of phenolic plant defence compounds. Biochemical characterization using RP-HPLC shows that both redox partners support CYP activity, but with different product specificities. When reconstituted with CPR1, CYP53A15 converts benzoic acid to 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and 3-methoxybenzoic acid to 3-hydroxybenzoic acid. However, when the redox partner is CPR2, both substrates are converted to 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid. Deletion mutants and gene expression in mycelia grown on media with inhibitors indicate that CPR1 is important in primary metabolism, whereas CPR2 plays a role in xenobiotic detoxification.