Cholesterol Ester Oxidation by Mycobacterial Cytochrome P450

Mycobacteria share a common cholesterol degradation pathway initiated by oxidation of the alkyl side chain by enzymes of cytochrome P450 (CYP) families 125 and 142. Structural and sequence comparisons of the two enzyme families revealed two insertions into the N-terminal region of the CYP125 family (residues 58–67 and 100–109 in the CYP125A1 sequence) that could potentially sterically block the oxidation of the longer cholesterol ester molecules. Catalytic assays revealed that only CYP142 enzymes are able to oxidize cholesteryl propionate, and although CYP125 enzymes could oxidize cholesteryl sulfate, they were much less efficient at doing so than the CYP142 enzymes. The crystal structure of CYP142A2 in complex with cholesteryl sulfate revealed a substrate tightly fit into a smaller active site than was previously observed for the complex of CYP125A1 with 4-cholesten-3-one. We propose that the larger CYP125 active site allows for multiple binding modes of cholesteryl sulfate, the majority of which trigger the P450 catalytic cycle, but in an uncoupled mode rather than one that oxidizes the sterol. In contrast, the more unhindered and compact CYP142 structure enables enzymes of this family to readily oxidize cholesteryl esters, thus providing an additional source of carbon for mycobacterial growth.     

Oxidation of Endogenous N-Arachidonoylserotonin by Human Cytochrome P450 2U1

Cytochrome P450 (P450) 2U1 has been shown to be expressed, at the mRNA level, in human thymus, brain, and several other tissues. Recombinant P450 2U1 was purified and used as a reagent in a metabolomic search for substrates in bovine brain. In addition to fatty acid oxidation reactions, an oxidation of endogenous N-arachidonoylserotonin was characterized. Subsequent NMR and mass spectrometry and chemical synthesis showed that the main product was the result of C-2 oxidation of the indole ring, in contrast to other human P450s that generated different products. N-Arachidonoylserotonin, first synthesized chemically and described as an inhibitor of fatty acid amide hydrolase, had previously been found in porcine and mouse intestine; we demonstrated its presence in bovine and human brain samples. The product (2-oxo) was 4-fold less active than N-arachidonoylserotonin in inhibiting fatty acid amide hydrolase. The rate of oxidation of N-arachidonoylserotonin was similar to that of arachidonic acid, one of the previously identified fatty acid substrates of P450 2U1. The demonstration of the oxidation of N-arachidonoylserotonin by P450 2U1 suggests a possible role in human brain and possibly other sites.     

Reaction Mechanism of Superoxide Generation during Ubiquinol Oxidation by the Cytochrome bc1 Complex

In addition to its main functions of electron transfer and proton translocation, the cytochrome bc₁ complex (bc₁) also catalyzes superoxide anion (O₂^˙̄) generation upon oxidation of ubiquinol in the presence of molecular oxygen. The reaction mechanism of superoxide generation by bc₁ remains elusive. The maximum O₂^˙̄ generation activity is observed when the complex is inhibited by antimycin A or inactivated by heat treatment or proteinase K digestion. The fact that the cytochrome bc₁ complex with less structural integrity has higher O₂^˙̄-generating activity encouraged us to speculate that O₂^˙̄ is generated inside the complex, perhaps in the hydrophobic environment of the Q_P pocket through bifurcated oxidation of ubiquinol by transferring its two electrons to a high potential electron acceptor, iron-sulfur cluster, and a low potential heme b_L or molecular oxygen. If this speculation is correct, then one should see more O₂^˙̄ generation upon oxidation of ubiquinol by a high potential oxidant, such as cytochrome c or ferricyanide, in the presence of phospholipid vesicles or detergent micelles than in the hydrophilic conditions, and this is indeed the case. The protein subunits, at least those surrounding the Q_P pocket, may play a role either in preventing the release of O₂^˙̄ from its production site to aqueous environments or in preventing O₂ from getting access to the hydrophobic Q_P pocket and might not directly participate in superoxide production.     

细胞色素P450 2B4的结构及其催化反应

细胞色素P450是广泛存在于动物、植物和微生物中的含亚铁血红素单加氧酶,参与致癌作用和药物代谢、类固醇激素合成、脂溶性维生素代谢、多不饱和脂肪酸转换为生物活性分子等生理过程。P450能够催化完成伯、仲碳氢键羟基化、烯烃和芳烃环氧化、碳碳键耦合和断裂、α羟基化(去烷基化和杂原子氧化)、还原、1,2-迁移(卤素、氢和苯)等有机反应。本文综述了P450 2B4的结构与功能,讨论了细胞色素P450 2B4的活性中心和底物识别位点、与底物反应和产物释放的机理,以及P450在有机合成中的应用。     

细胞色素P450的多样性与介导抗性的研究

细胞色素单加氧酶是一类广泛分布在生物体内的重要酶系,在生物体内广泛分布,CYP450参与多种外源性化合物的代谢,内源性物质的合成,在生物体起到十分重要的作用,对P450的研究已从最开始的功能与定位深入到了它的分子机制和多样性等的研究,就P450的多样性、介导抗性的机制和分离方法作一综述。     

Engineering Cytochrome P450 BM-3 for Oxidation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Cytochrome P450 BM-3, a self-sufficient P450 enzyme from Bacillus megaterium that catalyzes the subterminal hydroxylation of long-chain fatty acids, has been engineered into a catalyst for the oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The activities of a triplet mutant (A74G/F87V/L188Q) towards naphthalene, fluorene, acenaphthene, acenaphthylene, and 9-methylanthracene were 160, 53, 109, 287, and 22/min, respectively. Compared with the activities of the wild type towards these polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, those of the mutant were improved by up to 4 orders of magnitude. The coupling efficiencies of the mutant towards naphthalene, fluorene, acenaphthene, acenaphthylene, and 9-methylanthracene were 11, 26, 5.4, 15, and 3.2%, respectively, which were also improved several to hundreds fold. The high activities of the mutant towards polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons indicate the potential of engineering P450 BM-3 for the biodegradation of these compounds in the environment.     

Cytochrome P450: taming a wild type enzyme

Protein engineering of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) has been very successful in generating valuable non-natural activities and properties, allowing these powerful catalysts to be used for the synthesis of drug metabolites and in biosynthetic pathways for the production of precursors of artemisinin and paclitaxel. Collected experience indicates that the P450s are highly 'evolvable' - they are particularly robust to mutation in their active sites and readily accept new substrates and exhibit new selectivities. Their ability to adapt to new challenges upon mutation may reflect the nonpolar nature of their active sites as well as their high degree of conformational variability.     

Cytochrome P450: progress and predictions.

The cytochrome P450 gene superfamily encodes many isoforms that are unusual in the variety of chemical reactions catalyzed and the number of substrates attacked. The latter include physiologically important substances such as steroids, eicosanoids, fatty acids, lipid hydroperoxides, retinoids, and other lipid metabolites, and xenobiotics such as drugs, alcohols, procarcinogens, antioxidants, organic solvents, anesthetics, dyes, pesticides, odorants, and flavorants. Accordingly, it is not surprising that these catalysts have come under intensive study in recent years in fields as diverse as biochemistry and molecular biology, endocrinology, pharmacology, toxicology, anesthesiology, nutrition, pathology, and oncology. In this review, recent advances in our knowledge of the catalytic properties, reaction mechanisms, and regulation of expression and activity of the P450 enzymes are briefly summarized. In addition, the prospects for research in this field are considered, and advances are predicted in four broad areas: improved basic knowledge of enzyme catalysis and regulation; synthesis of fine chemicals, including drug design and screening; removal of undesirable environmental chemicals; and biomedical applications related to steroid, drug, carcinogen, and alcohol metabolism.     

细胞色素P450与肿瘤

本文综棕了细胞色素Ｐ４５０同工酶与致癌物代谢、与抗癌药的相互作用以及化的关系,并对调控Ｐ４５０同工酶以防治肿瘤的策略进行了论述。由于Ｐ４５０同工酶具有多态性、工物特异性及可诱导性的特点,在调控Ｐ４５０同工酶以防治肿瘤的问题上,针对不同人群、不同疾病状况及不同用药方案可能需采取抑制或诱导的不同策略。     

Cytochrome P450s and chemoprevention

The cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenase system represents a major defence against chemical challenge from the environment, constituting part of an adaptive response mounted by an organism following exposure to harmful agents. Cytochrome P450s are also able to catalyse the activation of compounds to toxic products, and participate in a variety of essential 'housekeeping' functions, such as biosynthesis of steroid hormones and fatty acid oxidation. It is clear that the modulation of expression of these enzymes can have a significant effect on chemical toxicity, carcinogenicity and mutagenicity. The concept of cancer chemoprevention, i.e. the administration of a (non-toxic) chemical or dietary component in order to prevent neoplastic disease or to inhibit its progression, is an attractive one. Despite this, relatively little work has been done to characterize the ability of putative chemopreventive agents to modulate P450 expression, or to understand the interaction between P450s and chemopreventive agents. Before chemopreventive treatment can become a reality, it is essential that this complex issue is addressed; for instance, it is likely that any single chemopreventive agent will induce more than one P450 isoenzyme, and while altered expression of a particular P450 may attenuate the effects of one toxic agent, the effects of others might well be potentiated. Our laboratory has created a transgenic mouse line in which the rat CYP1A1 promoter drives expression of the beta-galactosidase gene. These mice can be used to define which compounds act via the Ah receptor, in which tissues, and at which stage of development. We are currently developing another mouse line in which beta1-galactosidase expression is controlled by the mouse GstA1 promoter, allowing us to define the role of the antioxidant responsive element in the action of chemopreventive agents. Finally, using cre-loxP transgenic technology, we have generated a mouse line in which P450 reductase can be deleted in a conditional, i.e. tissue-specific, manner, permitting us to investigate the role of P450s in chemoprevention in a more defined manner.     

细胞色素P450与除草剂代谢

细胞色素P450是广泛存在于生物中的一类具有混合功能的血红素氧化酶。P450对除草剂代谢的机制及反应类型是多样的,与除草剂代谢相关的P450基因的植物转基因研究得到了具有不同除草剂抗性的转基因植物。文章就这方面的研究进展作介绍。     

The Cytochrome P450 Engineering Database: a navigation and prediction tool for the cytochrome P450 protein family

SUMMARY: The Cytochrome P450 Engineering Database (CYPED) has been designed to serve as a tool for a comprehensive and systematic comparison of protein sequences and structures within the vast and diverse family of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYPs). The CYPED currently integrates sequence and structure data of 3911 and 25 proteins, respectively. Proteins are grouped into homologous families and superfamilies according to Nelson's classification. Nonclassified CYP sequences are assigned by similarity. Functionally relevant residues are annotated. The web accessible version contains multisequence alignments, phylogenetic trees and HMM profiles. The CYPED is regularly updated and supplies all data for download. Thus, it provides a valuable data source for phylogenetic analysis, investigation of sequence-function relationships and the design of CYPs with improved biochemical properties. Abbreviations: Cytochrome P450 Engineering Database, CYPED; cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, CYP; Hidden Markov Model, HMM. AVAILABILITY: www.cyped.uni-stuttgart.de     

微生物细胞色素P450与胆固醇的生物代谢

细胞色素P450(CYP450)是一类含亚铁血红素的单加氧酶,广泛存在于各类生物体内,参与多种外源物质的代谢和内源物质的转化,如甾类激素、胆汁酸、胆固醇等的代谢。胆固醇是一种环戊烷多氢菲的衍生物,也是人类重要的脂类物质和许多特殊生物活性物质的前体之一,当其过量时会导致高胆固醇血症、动脉粥样硬化、静脉血栓生成等,对机体产生不利的影响。微生物CYP450酶可催化胆固醇的生物代谢,特别是其中的CYP125酶是胆固醇分解代谢起始的关键酶,可用作调节胆固醇代谢的药物靶标。     

细胞色素P450与植物的次生代谢

细胞色素Ｐ４５０是动植物及微生物体内的一类重要的混合功能的血红素氧化还原酶类，是一个基因超家族。它可催化多种化学反应，在防御生物免受外界侵害方面有重要作用。植物Ｐ４５０广泛参与次生代谢产生有植保素功能的物质和对除草剂、杀虫剂等外毒素的生物转化解毒代谢。许多植物Ｐ４５０已被分离纯化，更多的植物Ｐ４５０的基因被克隆和外源表达。对植物Ｐ４５０的表达调控也取得了一些进展，但在抗虫和抗除草剂的农作物基因工程方面尚在起步阶段。     

Unusual Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and Reactions

Cytochrome P450 enzymes primarily catalyze mixed-function oxidation reactions, plus some reductions and rearrangements of oxygenated species, e.g. prostaglandins. Most of these reactions can be rationalized in a paradigm involving Compound I, a high-valent iron-oxygen complex (FeO³⁺), to explain seemingly unusual reactions, including ring couplings, ring expansion and contraction, and fusion of substrates. Most P450s interact with flavoenzymes or iron-sulfur proteins to receive electrons from NAD(P)H. In some cases, P450s are fused to protein partners. Other P450s catalyze non-redox isomerization reactions. A number of permutations on the P450 theme reveal the diversity of cytochrome P450 form and function.     

Cytochrome P450 catalyzed nitric oxide synthesis: a theoretical study

Similar to nitric oxide synthase (NOS) cytochrome P450 isoforms (e.g. 3A and 4E) can produce nitric oxide from arginine. Although the active site of both proteins contains a protoporphyrin IX unit having an axial cystein ligand, their effectiveness in the synthesis of NO differs significantly. Now the molecular basis of this functional difference was investigated. A homology model for cytochrome P450 3A4 was refined and compared to the X-ray structure of iNOS. We found the active site of iNOS to be more readily accessible for the substrate than that of P450. Docking calculations were performed using the Monte Carlo conformational analysis technique on all internal and external degrees of freedom of arginine and active site residues as well. The lowest energy conformation of the cytochrome P450 3A4-substrate complex was compared to the high resolution X-ray structure of the iNOS-arginine complex. Comparison of substrate orientations revealed that arginine binds in a similar conformation in both enzymes. In contrast to iNOS we found, however, that in P450 partially negative propionate side chains of protoporphyrin IX are located on the opposite side of the heme plane. As a result of this and the absence of other negatively charged residues the distal (substrate binding) side of P450 should be less negative than that of NOS and therefore its affinity toward the partially positive arginine is reduced. Comparison of molecular electrostatic potentials calculated within the active site of the proteins supports this proposal. Reduced affinity in combination with limited substrate access might be responsible for the less effective NO synthesis of cytochrome P450 observed experimentally.     

Nitroreduction of flutamide by Cunninghamella elegans NADPH: Cytochrome P450 reductase

The microbial model of mammalian drug metabolism, Cunninghamella elegans, has three cytochrome P450 reductase genes in its genome: g1631 (CPR_A), g4301 (CPR_B), and g7609 (CPR_C). The nitroreductase activity of the encoded enzymes was investigated via expression of the genes in the yeast Pichia pastoris X33. Whole cell assays with the recombinant yeast demonstrated that the reductases converted the anticancer drug flutamide to the nitroreduced metabolite that was also produced from the same substrate when incubated with human NADPH: cytochrome P450 reductase. The nitroreductase activity extended to other substrates such as the related drug nilutamide and the environmental contaminants 1-nitronaphthalene and 1,3-dinitronaphthalene. Comparative experiments with cell lysates of recombinant yeast were conducted under aerobic and reduced oxygen conditions and demonstrated that the reductases are oxygen sensitive.     

Phenomenon of Activation of Cytochrome P450 by Nonionic Detergents

Mechanism of substitution of nonionic detergent Emulgen 913 for phospholipid as an activator of N-demethylase activity of cytochrome P450 form 2B4 (LM₂) has been studied. It is shown that such an activation takes place at the detergent concentrations below values critical for micelle formation. Under these conditions, Emulgen does not affect the hexameric state of the cytochrome. The stimulating effect proved to be similar in reconstituted monooxygenase systems containing (a) cytochrome P450 2B4 and NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase and (b) cytochrome 2B4 and organic hydroperoxides. These results indicate that the activation is due to an effect of the detergent upon P450 2B4 per se rather than upon P450/flavoprotein complex formation. The above conclusion is supported by the sedimentation data and measurement of the CD spectra of cytochrome P450 2B4 at 380–450 nm.