Homology model of human retinoic acid metabolising enzyme cytochrome P450 26A1 (CYP26A1): active site architecture and ligand binding

Homology models of cytochrome P450 RA1 (CYP26A1) were constructed using three human P450 structures, CYP2C8, CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 as templates for the model building. Using MOE software the lowest energy CYP26A1 model was then assessed for stereochemical quality and side chain environment. Further active site optimisation of the CYP26A1 model built using the CYP3A4 template was performed by molecular dynamics to generate a final CYP26A1 model. The natural substrate, all-trans-retinoic acid (atRA), and inhibitor R 15866, were docked into the model allowing further validation of the active site architecture. Using the docking studies structurally and functionally important residues were identified with subsequent characterisation of secondary structure. Multiple hydrophobic interactions, including the side chains of TRP112, PHE299, PHE222, PHE84, PHE374 and PRO371, are important for binding of atRA and R115866. Additional hydrogen bonding interactions were noted as follows: atRA-- C==O of the atRA carboxylate group and ARG86; R115866--benzothiazole nitrogen and the backbone NH of SER115.     

Amino acid sequence of a protease inhibitor isolated from Sarcophaga bullata determined by mass spectrometry.

The amino acid sequence of a protease inhibitor isolated from the hemolymph of Sarcophaga bullata larvae was determined by tandem mass spectrometry. Homology considerations with respect to other protease inhibitors with known primary structures assisted in the choice of the procedure followed in the sequence determination and in the alignment of the various peptides obtained from specific chemical cleavage at cysteines and enzyme digests of the S. bullata protease inhibitor. The resulting sequence of 57 residues is as follows: Val Asp Lys Ser Ala Cys Leu Gln Pro Lys Glu Val Gly Pro Cys Arg Lys Ser Asp Phe Val Phe Phe Tyr Asn Ala Asp Thr Lys Ala Cys Glu Glu Phe Leu Tyr Gly Gly Cys Arg Gly Asn Asp Asn Arg Phe Asn Thr Lys Glu Glu Cys Glu Lys Leu Cys Leu.     

The primary structure of the β-subunit of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The complete amino acid sequence of the β-subunit of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase was determined. The β-subunit contained four methionine residues. Thus, five peptides were obtained after cleavage of the carboxymethylated β-subunit with cyanogen bromide, and were isolated on Sephadex G-75 column chromatography. The amino acid sequences of the cyanogen bromide peptides were established by characterization of the peptides obtained after digestion with trypsin, chymotrypsin, thermolysin, or Staphylococcus aureus protease. The major sequencing techniques used were automated and manual Edman degradations. The five cyanogen bromide peptides were aligned by means of the amino acid sequences of the peptides containing methionine purified from the tryptic hydrolysate of the carboxymethylated β-subunit. The amino acid sequence of all the 238 residues was as follows: ProAlaGlnAspAsnSerArgPheValIleArgAsp ArgAsnTrpHis ProLysAlaLeuThrPro-Asp — TyrLysThrSerIleAlaArg SerProArgGlnAla LeuValSerIleProGlnSer — IleSerGluThrThrGly ProAsnPheSerHisLeu GlyPheGlyAlaHisAsp-His — AspLeuLeuLeuAsnPheAsn AsnGlyGlyLeu ProIleGlyGluArgIle-Ile — ValAlaGlyArgValValAsp GlnTyrGlyLysPro ValProAsnThrLeuValGluMet — TrpGlnAlaAsnAla GlyGlyArgTyrArg HisLysAsnAspArgTyrLeuAlaPro — LeuAspProAsn PheGlyGlyValGly ArgCysLeuThrAspSerAspGlyTyrTyr — SerPheArg ThrIleLysProGlyPro TyrProTrpArgAsnGlyProAsnAsp — TrpArgProAla HisIleHisPheGlyIle SerGlyProSerIleAlaThr-Lys — LeuIleThrGlnLeuTyr PheGluGlyAspPro LeuIleProMetCysProIleVal — LysSerIleAlaAsn ProGluAlaValGlnGln LeuIleAlaLysLeuAspMetAsnAsn — AlaAsnProMet AsnCysLeuAlaTyr ArgPheAspIleValLeuArgGlyGlnArgLysThrHis PheGluAsnCys. The sequence published earlier in summary form (Iwaki et al., 1979, J. Biochem.86, 1159–1162) contained a few errors which are pointed out in this paper.     

Pharmacophore-directed Homology Modeling and Molecular Dynamics Simulation of G Protein-coupled Receptor： Study of Possible Binding Modes of 5-HT2c Receptor Agonists

A new pharmacophore-based modeling procedure, including homology modeling, pharmacophore study, flexible molecular docking, and long-time molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, was employed to construct the structure of the human 5-HT_(2C) receptor and determine the characteristics of binding modes of 5-HT_(2C) receptor agonists. An agonist-receptor complex has been constructed based on homology modeling and a pharmacophore hypothesis model based on some high active compounds. Then MD simulations of the ligand-receptor complex in an explicit membrane environment were carried out. The conformation of the 5- HT_(2C) receptor during MD simulation was explored, and the stable binding modes of the studied agonist were determined. Flexible molecular docking of several structurally diverse agonists of the human 5-HT_(2C) receptor was carried out, and the general binding modes of these agonists were investigated. According to the models presented in this work and the results of Flexi-Dock, the involvement of the amino acid residues Asp134, Ser138, Ash210, Asn331, Tyr358, Ile131, Ser132, Val135, Thr139, Ile189, Val202, Val208, Leu209, Phe214, Val215, Gly218, Ser219, Phe223, Trp324, Phe327, and Phe328 in agonist recognition was studied. The obtained binding modes of the human 5-HT_(2C) receptor agonists have good agreement with the site-directed mutagenesis data and other studies.     

Sequences of tryptic peptides containing the five cysteinyl residues of ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase from Rhodospirillum rubrum

Tryptic peptides which account for all five cysteinyl residues in ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase from Rhodospirillum rubrum have been purified and sequenced. Collectively, these peptides contain 94 of the approximately 500 amino acid residues per molecule of subunit. Due to one incomplete cleavage at a site for trypsin and two incomplete chymotryptic-like cleavages, eight major radioactive peptides (rather than five as predicted) were recovered from tryptic digests of the enzyme that had been carboxymethylated with [³H]iodoacetate. The established sequences are: GlyTyrThrAlaPheValHisCys¹Lys TyrValAspLeuAlaLeuLysGluGluAspLeuIleAla GlyGlyGluHisValLeuCys¹AlaTyr AlaGlyTyrGlyTyrValAlaThrAlaAlaHisPheAla AlaGluSerSerThrGlyThrAspValGluValCys¹ ThrThrAsxAsxPheThrArg AlaCys¹ThrProIleIleSerGlyGlyMetAsnAla LeuArg ProPheAlaGluAlaCys¹HisAlaPheTrpLeuGly GlyAsnPheIleLys In these peptides, radioactive carboxymethylcysteinyl residues are denoted with asterisks and the sites of incomplete cleavage with vertical wavy lines. None of the peptides appear homologous with either of two cysteinyl-containing, active-site peptides previously isolated from spinach ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase.     

Amino acid sequence of seminalplasmin, an antimicrobial protein from bull semen

Analytical ultracentrifugation of highly purified seminalplasmin revealed a molecular mass of 6300. Amino acid analysis of the protein preparation indicated the absence of sulfur-containing amino acids cysteine and methionine. The amino acid sequence of seminalplasmin was determined by manual Edman degradation of peptides obtained by proteolytic enzymes trypsin, chymotrypsin and thermolysin: NH₂-Ser Asp Glu Lys Ala Ser Pro Asp Lys His His Arg Phe Ser Leu Ser Arg Tyr Ala Lys Leu Ala Asn Arg Leu Ser Lys Trp Ile Gly Asn Arg Gly Asn Arg Leu Ala Asn Pro Lys Leu Leu Glu Thr Phe Lys Ser Val-COOH. The number of amino acids according to the sequence were 48, the molecular mass 6385. As predicted from the sequence, seminalplasmin very likely contains two α-helical domains in which residues 8-17 and 40-48 are involved. No evidence for the existence of β-sheet structures was obtained. Treatment of seminalplasmin with the above proteases as well as with amino peptidase M and carboxypeptidase Y completely eliminated biological activity.     

Effects of orally administrated amino acids on myofibrillar proteolysis in chicks

We examined the effects of orally administrated amino acids on myfibrillar proteolysis in food-deprived chicks. Plasma N(tau)-methylhistidine concentration, as an index of myofibrillar proteolysis, was decreased by the administration of Glu, Gly, Ala, Leu, Ile, Ser, Thr, Met, Trp, Asn, Gln, Pro, Lys and Arg but not by Asp, Val, Phe, Tyr or His to chicks. Orally administrated Cys was fatal to chicks. These results indicate that oral Glu, Gly, Ala, Leu, Ile, Ser, Thr, Met, Trp, Asn, Gln, Pro, Lys and Arg administration suppressed myofibrillar proteolysis in chicks.     

The amino acid sequence of human chorionic gonadotropin. The alpha subunit and beta subunit.

The amino acid sequences of both the alpha and beta subunits of human chorionic gonadotropin have been determined. The amino acid sequence of the alpha subunit is: Ala - Asp - Val - Gln - Asp - Cys - Pro - Glu - Cys-10 - Thr - Leu - Gln - Asp - Pro - Phe - Ser - Gln-20 - Pro - Gly - Ala - Pro - Ile - Leu - Gln - Cys - Met - Gly-30 - Cys - Cys - Phe - Ser - Arg - Ala - Tyr - Pro - Thr - Pro-40 - Leu - Arg - Ser - Lys - Lys - Thr - Met - Leu - Val - Gln-50 - Lys - Asn - Val - Thr - Ser - Glu - Ser - Thr - Cys - Cys-60 - Val - Ala - Lys - Ser - Thr - Asn - Arg - Val - Thr - Val-70 - Met - Gly - Gly - Phe - Lys - Val - Glu - Asn - His - Thr-80 - Ala - Cys - His - Cys - Ser - Thr - Cys - Tyr - Tyr - His-90 - Lys - Ser. Oligosaccharide side chains are attached at residues 52 and 78. In the preparations studied approximately 10 and 30% of the chains lack the initial 2 and 3 NH2-terminal residues, respectively. This sequence is almost identical with that of human luteinizing hormone (Sairam, M. R., Papkoff, H., and Li, C. H. (1972) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 48, 530-537). The amino acid sequence of the beta subunit is: Ser - Lys - Glu - Pro - Leu - Arg - Pro - Arg - Cys - Arg-10 - Pro - Ile - Asn - Ala - Thr - Leu - Ala - Val - Glu - Lys-20 - Glu - Gly - Cys - Pro - Val - Cys - Ile - Thr - Val - Asn-30 - Thr - Thr - Ile - Cys - Ala - Gly - Tyr - Cys - Pro - Thr-40 - Met - Thr - Arg - Val - Leu - Gln - Gly - Val - Leu - Pro-50 - Ala - Leu - Pro - Gin - Val - Val - Cys - Asn - Tyr - Arg-60 - Asp - Val - Arg - Phe - Glu - Ser - Ile - Arg - Leu - Pro-70 - Gly - Cys - Pro - Arg - Gly - Val - Asn - Pro - Val - Val-80 - Ser - Tyr - Ala - Val - Ala - Leu - Ser - Cys - Gln - Cys-90 - Ala - Leu - Cys - Arg - Arg - Ser - Thr - Thr - Asp - Cys-100 - Gly - Gly - Pro - Lys - Asp - His - Pro - Leu - Thr - Cys-110 - Asp - Asp - Pro - Arg - Phe - Gln - Asp - Ser - Ser - Ser - Ser - Lys - Ala - Pro - Pro - Pro - Ser - Leu - Pro - Ser-130 - Pro - Ser - Arg - Leu - Pro - Gly - Pro - Ser - Asp - Thr-140 - Pro - Ile - Leu - Pro - Gln. Oligosaccharide side chains are found at residues 13, 30, 121, 127, 132, and 138. The proteolytic enzyme, thrombin, which appears to cleave a limited number of arginyl bonds, proved helpful in the determination of the beta sequence.     

Subtilisin-like proteinase SSPB from Streptomyces spheroides, strain 35

A serine proteinase possessing a fibrinolytic activity was isolated from a culture filtrate of Streptomyces spheroides, strain 35. A consecutive use of affinity chromatography on bacillichin-silochrome and bacitracin-sepharose and ion-exchange chromatography on anionie PAP and cationic KMT resulted in a homogeneous proteinase with 1060-fold purification and 19% yield. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 28000; its amino acid composition is Asp31, Ser28, Thr29, Glu9, Pro14, Gly35, Ala42, Val26, Ile14, Leu13, Met2, Tyr9, Phe4, Trp3, His6, Lys4, Arg10. The enzyme has a pI at pH greater than 10 and the activity optimum against Z-L-Ala-L-Ala-L-Leu-pNA at pH 10-11. The enzyme is stable within the pH range of 4-11 and in 6 M guanidinium chloride pH 8.0 in the presence of Ca2+. The enzyme is inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate and benzylsulfofluoride, specific inhibitors of serine proteinases as well as by potato proteinase inhibitor. The serine proteinase SSPB isolated from Str. spheroides, strain 35 can be related to subtilisin-like serine proteinase, especially to those of SGPD and SGPE of Str. griseus.     

Characterization of pyrroloquinoline quinone amino acid derivatives by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and detection in human milk

We describe a HPLC method coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI/MS) for quantification and identification of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) and condensation products formed upon incubation of PQQ with amino acids (IPQ; imidazolopyrroloquinoline and I/OPQ/R; imidazolopyrroloquinoline with attached R-group). More importantly, using these methods we demonstrate the presence of both PQQ and IPQ in human milk in nanomolar to micromolar concentrations. PQQ was incubated with amino acids and condensation products were separated by HPLC. Fractions corresponding to each product were collected and molecular masses were determined using ESI/MS. Ala, Asp, Arg, Cys, Gly, Glu, Ser, Thr, Trp, and Tyr form IPQ upon incubation with PQQ. Yields of IPQ were low (<5%) for Asp and Glu, yet high (>60%) for Thr. In addition to IPQ, Ala, Arg, Cys, Ser, Trp, and Tyr formed IPQ/R derivatives. His, Ile, Leu, Glu, Leu, Lys, Met, and Phe form only IPQ/R derivatives. Proline did not react with PQQ. Mass spectra indicate that PQQ forms stable hydrated carbonyls and decarboxylates easily. Although mass spectra were complicated by the oxidation state of the quinone and decarboxylation of PQQ, these methods are invaluable for the rapid detection of the full range of PQQ adducts in biological matrices.     

Studies on D-tetrose metabolism. VI. Crystallization and some properties of D-erythrulose reducatase from beef liver.

D-Erythrulose reductase of beef liver was crystallized from ammonium sulfate solution at pH 8.17. The crystals are needle-shaped. The enzyme protein contains 851 amino acid residues per mole of the enzyme: Lys28, His11, Arg52, Asp79, Thr58, Ser56, Glu68, Pro20, Gly80, Ala107, Val112, Met24, Ile31, Leu88, Tyr7, Phe22, Trp4, and Cys4. The enzyme is inactivated by exposure to temperatures below 12degrees. The inactivation is accelerated by increasing the salt concentration and decreasing the enzyme concentration. The pH of the medium also has a pronounced effect, the maximum stability of the enzyme is obtained at pH 8.5. NADP+ protected the enzyme from cold inactivation at all stages of the process and also afforded protection against inactivation by heat and pH. The cold inactivation of the enzyme is accompanied by dissociation of the enzyme protein to subunits.     

Isolation and properties of serine proteinase from Aspergillus oryzae

A serine proteinase having an activity optimum at pH 6.7-8.2 has been isolated from amylorisine P-10x (a mixture of Aspergillus oryzae enzymes) by chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50 and bacitracin Sepharose 4B. The proteinase is fully inactivated by phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride and diisopropylfluorophosphonate, the specific inhibitors of the enzyme, and has a pI at pH 7.5. The molecular mass of serine proteinase is 30000 Da; its amino acid composition appears as: Met2, Asp33, Thr18, Ser29, Glu21, Pro9, Glu32, Ala38, Val24, Ile16, Leu15, Tyr8, Phe8, His8, Lys18, Arg4, Trp6. The N-terminal sequence of the serine proteinase: Gly-Leu-Thr-Thr-Gln-Lys-Ser-Ala-Pro-Trp-Gly-Leu-Gly-Ser-Ile-Ser-Xaa-Lys- Gly-Gln-Gln-Ser-Thr-Asp-Tyr-Ile-Tyr, which coincides practically completely with the corresponding sequence of alkaline proteinase of A. oryzae, ATCC20386, has been determined. Similar to subtilisin, the enzyme catalyzes the condensation of leucine and alanine p-nitroanilides with N-benzyloxycarbonyl-alanyl-alanine and glycyl-alanine methyl esters.     

Genetic polymorphism of CYP4A11 and CYP4A22 genes and in silico insights from comparative 3D modelling in a French population

The CYP4A subfamily is known to ω-hydroxylate the endogenous arachidonic acid into 20-hydroxyeicosatetranoic acid, which has renovascular and tubular functions. The aim of this work was to report a comprehensive investigation of the CYP4A11 and CYP4A22 genetic polymorphisms in a French population. Using PCR-SSCP and sequencing strategies, a total of 26 sequence variations were identified comprising 3 missense mutations for CYP4A11 (Ser404Phe, Phe434Ser and Arg505His) and 7 missense mutations for CYP4A22 (Arg126Trp, Gly130Ser, Asn152Tyr, Val185Phe, Cys231Arg, Leu428Pro and Leu509Phe). In comparison with SNPs reported in the database (dbSNP) of the National Center for Biotechnology information (NCBI), 6 and 3 novel polymorphisms were identified in CYP4A11 and CYP4A22, respectively. The potential impact of the amino acid substitutions on the structure and/or catalytic activity of the enzymes has been estimated by the construction and validation of the CYP4A 3D models. These results could be helpful for further investigations of the potential role of CYP4A variants in the genetic susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases in humans such as arterial hypertension.     

Limited proteolysis of liver and muscle aldolases: Effects of subtilisin,cathepsin B,and Staphylococcus aureus protease

Limited proteolysis of rabbit liver and muscle aldolases by subtilisin and cathepsin B results in decreased catalytic activity, associated with the release of acid-soluble peptides from the COOH terminus. Analysis of the sequence of these peptides confirms the COOH-terminal sequence of the muscle enzyme and provides new information on the COOH-terminal sequence of the liver enzyme. As previously reported for muscle aldolase, cathepsin B releases mainly dipeptides from the COOH terminus of liver aldolase. The COOH-terminal sequence of rabbit liver aldolase is SerThrGlnSerLeuPheThrAla SerTyrThrTyr. The Gln-Ser bond is resistant to Staphylococcus aureus protease, which hydrolyzes a GluSer bond at the corresponding positions in the muscle enzyme.     

Trp17 and Glu20 residues in conserved WMN(D/E)PN motif are essential for Aspergillus ficuum endoinulinase (EC 3.2.1.7) activity

The importance of the WMN(D/E)PN motif, which is well conserved among -fructofuranosidases grouped in the glycosylhydrolase family 32, in Aspergillus ficuum endoinulinase was accessed. Each mutant enzyme generated by site-directed mutagenesis of Trp17 in the conserved motif to Gln, Leu, Ser, Pro, Thr, or Met had an activity of less than 1% of the wild type. Another mutant enzyme obtained by mutation of Glu20 in the motif to Ser, Leu, Thr, Gln, Ala, or Val had an enzyme activity of less than 1% of the wild type. Furthermore, the E20D mutant enzyme, in which Glu20 in the conserved motif was replaced with Asp, had 1.1% of the wild type activity. These results clearly indicated that Trp17 and Glu20 are essential for the enzyme activity.     

Importance of each residue within secretin for receptor binding and biological activity

Secretin is a linear 27-residue peptide hormone that stimulates pancreatic and biliary ductular bicarbonate and water secretion by acting at its family B G protein-coupled receptor. While, like other family members, the carboxyl-terminal region of secretin is most important for high affinity binding and its amino-terminal region is most important for receptor selectivity and receptor activation, determinants for these activities are distributed throughout the entire length of this peptide. In this work, we have systematically investigated changing each residue within secretin to alanine and evaluating the impact on receptor binding and biological activity. The residues most critical for receptor binding were His1, Asp3, Gly4, Phe6, Thr7, Ser8, Leu10, Asp15, Leu19, and Leu23. The residues most critical for biological activity included His1, Gly4, Thr7, Ser8, Glu9, Leu10, Leu19, Leu22, and Leu23, with Asp3, Phe6, Ser11, Leu13, Asp15, Leu26, and Val27 also contributing. While the importance of residues in positions analogous to His1, Asp3, Phe6, Thr7, and Leu23 is conserved for several closely related members of this family, Leu19 is uniquely important for secretin. We, therefore, have further studied this residue by molecular modeling and molecular dynamics simulations. Indeed, the molecular dynamics simulations showed that mutation of Leu19 to alanine was destabilizing, with this effect greater than that observed for the analogous position in the other close family members. This could reflect reduced contact with the receptor or an increase in the solvent-accessible surface area of the hydrophobic residues in the carboxyl terminus of secretin as bound to its receptor.     

Mutations in Intron 1 and Intron 22 Inversion Negative Haemophilia A Patients from Western India

Despite increased awareness and diagnostic facilities, 70–80% of the haemophilia A (HA) patients still remain undiagnosed in India. Very little data is available on prevalent mutations in HA from this country. We report fifty mutations in seventy one Indian HA patients, of which twenty were novel. Ten novel missense mutations [p.Leu11Pro (p.Leu-8Pro), p.Tyr155Ser (p.Tyr136Ser), p.Ile405Thr (p.Ile386Thr), p.Gly582Val (p.Gly563Val) p.Thr696Ile (p.Thr677Ile), p.Tyr737Cys (p.Tyr718Cys), p.Pro1999Arg (p.Pro1980Arg), p.Ser2082Thr (p.Ser2063Thr), p.Leu2197Trp (p.Leu2178Trp), p.Asp2317Glu (p.Asp2298Glu)] two nonsense [p.Lys396* (p.Lys377*), p.Ser2205* (p.Ser2186*)], one insertion [p.Glu1268_Asp1269ins (p.Glu1249_Asp1250)] and seven deletions [p.Leu882del (p.Leu863del), p.Met701del (p.Met682del), p.Leu1223del (p.Leu1204del), p.Trp1961_Tyr1962del (p.Trp1942_Tyr1943del) p.Glu1988del (p.Glu1969del), p.His1841del (p.His1822del), p.Ser2205del (p.Ser2186del)] were identified. Double mutations (p.Asp2317Glu; p.Thr696Ile) were observed in a moderate HA case. Mutations [p. Arg612Cys (p.Arg593Cys), p.Arg2326Gln (p.Arg2307Gln)] known to be predisposing to inhibitors to factor VIII (FVIII) were identified in two patients. 4.6% of the cases were found to be cross reacting material positive (CRM+ve). A wide heterogeneity in the nature of mutations was seen in the present study which has been successfully used for carrier detection and antenatal diagnosis in 10 families affected with severe to moderate HA.     

酸性和碱性酶稳定性机制及其识别

了解酸性和碱性酶稳定性机制并对其进行识别具有重要理论和实践意义。通过分析105条酸性酶和111条碱性酶序列的氨基酸组成, 结果表明: 酸性酶中Trp、Tyr、Thr和Ser的含量明显高于平均值, 而Glu、Lys、Met和Arg的含量则明显低于平均值; 碱性酶中Trp、Ala和Cys的含量略高于平均值, 而Lys、Arg和Glu的含量则略低于平均值; 酸性和碱性酶中Ala、Glu、Leu、Asn、Arg、Ser和Thr的含量存在较大差异。在此基础上, 发展了一种加权氨基酸组成的方法对两种酶进行识别, 其自一致性检验的识别精度可达86.1%, 5倍交叉验证的精度为83.3%。建立了一种基于序列识别酸性和碱性酶的新方法。     

Analysis of clinically relevant substrates of CYP2B6 enzyme by computational methods

Mounting evidence thus far indicates that human cytochrome P450 2B6 (CYP2B6), an enzyme expressed at a relatively low level functionally, is primarily responsible for the metabolism of several clinically relevant drugs, including propofol, efavirenz, bupropion, mephobarbital, and the propofol analog 2,6-di-sec-butyl phenol. We used molecular dynamics and molecular docking methods to predict such interactions and to compare with experimentally measured metabolisms. Insight II and Discover Studio 2.5 were used to carry out the docking of these substrates into CYP2B6 to explore the critical residues and interaction energies of the complexes. Phe297, Glu301, Thr302 and Val367 were identified as major drug-binding residues, which is consistent with previous data on site-directed mutagenesis, crystallography structure, and from modeling and docking studies. In addition, our docking results suggest that nonpolar amino acid clusters and heme also participate in binding to mediate drug oxidative metabolism. The binding modes of the five clinically relevant substrates mentioned above for metabolism on CYP2B6 are presented.     

癌肿与氨基酸代谢的研究

研究了癌肿与氨基酸代谢的关系。这些癌肿包括喉癌HepⅡ细胞 ,急性非淋巴细胞白血病和急性淋巴细胞白血病 ,结果表明 :( 1 )喉癌细胞株培养过程中亮氨酸、赖氨酸、丝氨酸、天冬酰胺、异亮氨酸、甘氨酸以及苏氨酸等水平明显降低 ,而色氨酸水平明显增加 ,说明喉癌细胞的生长繁殖必须依赖以上 7种氨基酸同时释放了色氨酸 ;( 2 )急性非淋巴细胞白血病 (ANLL)患者血浆中的谷氨酸、甘氨酸、亮氨酸、苯丙氨酸、酪氨酸和色氨酸等水平明显升高 ,而苏氨酸、组氨酸、丙氨酸等水平明显降低 ,这些结果与国际报道相一致 ;( 3)经治疗后 ,ANLL患者血浆中甘氨酸、色氨酸和苯丙氨酸等水平明显降低 ,而丙氨酸、组氨酸等水平明显升高 ,表明肿瘤细胞处在无氧代谢。患者经治疗后色氨酸和苯丙氨酸水平降低和组氨酸水平的升高对患者预后是有益的 ;( 4)急性淋巴细胞白血病患者血浆中苯丙氨酸、赖氨酸、色氨酸和酪氨酸水平提高 ,这些氨基酸能促进肿瘤生长 ,而门冬酰胺、谷氨酰胺以及天冬氨酸水平降低 ,说明这 3种氨基酸为肿瘤生长所必须。此外还发现ALL患者外周淋巴细胞中精氨酸水平增加 ,精氨酸对癌肿细胞有直接杀伤作用。