Identification of multiple cytochrome P450 genes belonging to the CYP4 family in Xenopus laevis: cDNA cloning of CYP4F42 and CYP4V4

In order to obtain cDNA clones coding for CYP4 proteins in frog Xenopus laevis, degenerate primers were designed utilizing the conserved sequences of known CYP4s and were used to amplify partial cDNA fragments from liver mRNA. Five new CYP genes were identified. Three of these genes, XL-1, -2 and -3, were assigned to the CYP4T subfamily found previously in fish and amphibians. The other two genes, XL-4 and XL-5, were quite similar to CYP4F and CYP4V subfamilies, respectively. Subsequently, two full-length cDNA clones corresponding to XL-4 and XL-5 were isolated and characterized. The resultant cDNAs, designated as CYP4F42 and CYP4V4, had open reading frames encoding proteins of 528 and 520 residues, respectively. RT-PCR analysis indicated that the expression of CYP4F42 was limited to the liver, kidney, intestine and brain. In contrast, CYP4V4 mRNA was expressed ubiquitously.     

Molecular evolution and functional divergence of the cytochrome P450 3 (CYP3) Family in Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish)

Background

The cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily is a multifunctional hemethiolate enzyme that is widely distributed from Bacteria to Eukarya. The CYP3 family contains mainly the four subfamilies CYP3A, CYP3B, CYP3C and CYP3D in vertebrates; however, only the Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish) have all four subfamilies and detailed understanding of the evolutionary relationship of Actinopterygii CYP3 family members would be valuable.

Methods and Findings

Phylogenetic relationships were constructed to trace the evolutionary history of the Actinopterygii CYP3 family genes. Selection analysis, relative rate tests and functional divergence analysis were combined to interpret the relationship of the site-specific evolution and functional divergence in the Actinopterygii CYP3 family. The results showed that the four CYP3 subfamilies in Actinopterygii might be formed by gene duplication. The first gene duplication event was responsible for divergence of the CYP3B/C clusters from ancient CYP3 before the origin of the Actinopterygii, which corresponded to the fish-specific whole genome duplication (WGD). Tandem repeat duplication in each of the homologue clusters produced stable CYP3B, CYP3C, CYP3A and CYP3D subfamilies. Acceleration of asymmetric evolutionary rates and purifying selection together were the main force for the production of new subfamilies and functional divergence in the new subset after gene duplication, whereas positive selection was detected only in the retained CYP3A subfamily. Furthermore, nearly half of the functional divergence sites appear to be related to substrate recognition, which suggests that site-specific evolution is closely related with functional divergence in the Actinopterygii CYP3 family.

Conclusions

The split of fish-specific CYP3 subfamilies was related to the fish-specific WGD, and site-specific acceleration of asymmetric evolutionary rates and purifying selection was the main force for the origin of the new subfamilies and functional divergence in the new subset after gene duplication. Site-specific evolution in substrate recognition was related to functional divergence in the Actinopterygii CYP3 family.     

Omega-oxidation of very long-chain fatty acids in human liver microsomes. Implications for X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is a severe neurodegenerative disorder biochemically characterized by elevated levels of very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFA). Excess levels of VLCFAs are thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of X-ALD. Therefore, therapeutic approaches for X-ALD are focused on the reduction or normalization of VLCFAs. In this study, we investigated an alternative oxidation route for VLCFAs, namely omega-oxidation. The results described in this study show that VLCFAs are substrates for the omega-oxidation system in human liver microsomes. Moreover, VLCFAs were not only converted into omega-hydroxy fatty acids, but they were also further oxidized to dicarboxylic acids via cytochrome P450-mediated reactions. High sensitivity toward the specific P450 inhibitor 17-octadecynoic acid suggested that omega-hydroxylation of VLCFAs is catalyzed by P450 enzymes belonging to the CYP4A/F subfamilies. Studies with individually expressed human recombinant P450 enzymes revealed that two P450 enzymes, i.e. CYP4F2 and CYP4F3B, participate in the omega-hydroxylation of VLCFAs. Both enzymes belong to the cytochrome P450 4F subfamily and have a high affinity for VLCFAs. In summary, this study demonstrates that VLCFAs are substrates for the human omega-oxidation system, and for this reason, stimulation of the in vivo VLCFA omega-oxidation pathway may provide an alternative mode of treatment to reduce the levels of VLCFAs in patients with X-ALD.     

Phylogenetic and Functional Analysis of the Vertebrate Cytochrome P450 2 Family

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) proteins compose a highly diverse superfamily found in all domains of life. These proteins are enzymes involved in metabolism of endogenous and exogenous compounds. In vertebrates, the CYP2 family is one of the largest, most diverse and plays an important role in mammalian drug metabolism. However, there are more than 20 vertebrate CYP2 subfamilies with uncertain evolution and fairly discrete subfamily composition within vertebrate classes, hindering extrapolation of knowledge across subfamilies. To better understand CYP2 diversity, a phylogenetic analysis of 196 CYP2 protein sequences from 16 species was performed using a maximum likelihood approach and Bayesian inference. The analyses included the CYP2 compliment from human, fugu, zebrafish, stickleback, medaka, cow, and dog genomes. Additional sequences were included from rabbit, marsupial, platypus, chicken, frog, and salmonid species. Three CYP2 sequences from the tunicate Ciona intestinalis were utilized as the outgroup. Results indicate a single ancestral vertebrate CYP2 gene and monophyly of all CYP2 subfamilies. Two subfamilies (CYP2R and CYP2U) pre-date vertebrate diversification, allowing direct comparison across vertebrate classes, while all other subfamilies originated during vertebrate diversification, often within specific vertebrate lineages. Analysis of site-specific evolution indicates that some substrate recognition sites (SRS) previously proposed for CYP genes do not have elevated rates of evolution, suggesting that these regions of the protein are not necessarily important in recognition of CYP2 substrates. Type II functional divergence analysis identified multiple residues in the active site of CYP2F, CYP2A, and CYP2B proteins that have undergone radical biochemical changes and may be functionally important.     

Cytochrome P450 1 genes in early deuterostomes (tunicates and sea urchins) and vertebrates (chicken and frog): origin and diversification of the CYP1 gene family

Cytochrome P450 family 1 (CYP1) proteins are important in a large number of toxicological processes. CYP1A and CYP1B genes are well known in mammals, but the evolutionary history of the CYP1 family as a whole is obscure; that history may provide insight into endogenous functions of CYP1 enzymes. Here, we identify CYP1-like genes in early deuterostomes (tunicates and echinoderms), and several new CYP1 genes in vertebrates (chicken, Gallus gallus and frog, Xenopus tropicalis). Profile hidden Markov models (HMMs) generated from vertebrate CYP1A and CYP1B protein sequences were used to identify 5 potential CYP1 homologs in the tunicate Ciona intestinalis genome. The C. intestinalis genes were cloned and sequenced, confirming the predicted sequences. Orthologs of 4 of these genes were found in the Ciona savignyi genome. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses group the tunicate genes in the CYP1 family, provisionally in 2 new subfamilies, CYP1E and CYP1F, which fall in the CYP1A and CYP1B/1C clades. Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses predict functional divergence between the tunicate and vertebrate CYP1s, and regions within CYP substrate recognition sites were found to differ significantly in position-specific substitution rates between tunicates and vertebrates. Subsequently, 10 CYP1-like genes were found in the echinoderm Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (sea urchin) genome. Several of the tunicate and echinoderm CYP1-like genes are expressed during development. Canonical xenobiotic response elements are present in the upstream genomic sequences of most tunicate and sea urchin CYP1s, and both groups are predicted to possess an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), suggesting possible regulatory linkage of AHR and these CYPs. The CYP1 family has undergone multiple rounds of gene duplication followed by functional divergence, with at least one gene lost in mammals. This study provides new insight into the origin and evolution of CYP1 genes.     

Differential expression and evolution of the Arabidopsis CYP86A subfamily

Some members of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) CYP86A and CYP94B cytochrome P450 monooxygenase subfamilies, which share some sequence homology with the animal and fungal fatty acid hydroxylases, have been functionally defined as fatty acid omega-hydroxylases. With these activities, these and other fatty acid hydroxylases have potential roles in the synthesis of cutin, production of signaling molecules, and prevention of accumulation of toxic levels of free fatty acids. The constitutive and stress-inducible patterns of the five Arabidopsis CYP86A subfamily members have been defined in 7-d-old seedlings and 1-month-old plant tissues grown under normal conditions, and 7-d-old seedlings treated with different hormones (indole-3-acetic acid, abscisic acid, gibberellin, methyl jasmonic acid, brassinosteroid, salicylic acid), chemicals (clofibrate, 1-aminocyclopropane-1 carboxylic acid), or environmental stresses (cold, wounding, drought, mannitol, etiolation). Very distinct expression patterns exist for each of these fatty acid hydroxylases under normal growth conditions and in response to environmental and chemical stresses. Analysis of the promoter sequences for each of these genes with their expression patterns has highlighted a number of elements in current databases that potentially correlate with the responses of individual genes.     

Determination of copy number and linkage relationships among five actin gene subfamilies in Petunia hybrida

The actin gene superfamily of Petunia hybrida cv. Mitchell contains greater than 100 gene members which have been divided into several highly divergent subfamilies [1]. Five subfamily-specific probes have been used to compare the actin genes among the Mitchell, Violet 23 (V23) and Red 51 (R51) cultivars of P. hybrida. The sum total of actin genes in these five subfamilies was estimated to be between 10 and 34 members in both V23 and R51. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) between V23 and R51 were examined with these five probes and eleven different restriction endonucleases. Among the 55 comparisons, 87% exhibited RFLPs. These data indicate extreme divergence between V23 and R51 in DNA sequence and/or the presence of small insertions and deletions surrounding these actin gene subfamilies. This divergence suggests that V23 and R51, which have contrasting phenotypic marker loci on every chromosome, may be useful for the development of a complete RFLP linkage map of the Petunia genome. The segregation of Hind III RFLPs among the progeny of two backcrosses demonstrated that representatives of the five subfamilies of Petunia actin genes exist at four distinct genetic locations and suggested that two of these loci are tightly linked. Apparently, amplification of the numerous members of the Petunia actin gene superfamily occurred via gene dispersal of the original subfamily progenitors and not primarily as a result of amplification of a single chromosomal region.     

CYP52X1, representing new cytochrome P450 subfamily, displays fatty acid hydroxylase activity and contributes to virulence and growth on insect cuticular substrates in entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana

Infection of insects by the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana proceeds via attachment and penetration of the host cuticle. The outermost epicuticular layer or waxy layer of the insect represents a structure rich in lipids including abundant amounts of hydrocarbons and fatty acids. A member of a novel cytochrome P450 subfamily, CYP52X1, implicated in fatty acid assimilation by B. bassiana was characterized. B. bassiana targeted gene knockouts lacking Bbcyp52x1 displayed reduced virulence when topically applied to Galleria mellonella, but no reduction in virulence was noted when the insect cuticle was bypassed using an intrahemoceol injection assay. No significant growth defects were noted in the mutant as compared with the wild-type parent on any lipids substrates tested including alkanes and fatty acids. Insect epicuticle germination assays, however, showed reduced germination of ΔBbcyp52x1 conidia on grasshopper wings as compared with the wild-type parent. Complementation of the gene-knock with the full-length gene restored virulence and insect epicuticle germination to wild-type levels. Heterologous expression of CYP52X1 in yeast was used to characterize the substrate specificity of the enzyme. CYP52X1 displayed the highest activity against midrange fatty acids (C12:0 and C14:0) and epoxy stearic acid, 4-8-fold lower activity against C16:0, C18:1, and C18:2, and little to no activity against C9:0 and C18:0. Analyses of the products of the C12:0 and C18:1 reactions confirmed NADPH-dependent regioselective addition of a terminal hydroxyl to the substrates (ω-hydroxylase). These data implicate CYP52X1 as contributing to the penetration of the host cuticle via facilitating the assimilation of insect epicuticle lipids.     

佩妃延腹小蜂属榕小蜂CYP6家族进化分析

采用PCR方法获得了佩妃延腹小蜂属Philotrypesis榕小蜂9条CYP6基因片段：CYP6CK1, CYP6AQ2, CYP6AQ3, CYP6AS20, CYP6AS21, CYP6AS22, CYP6AS23, CYP6AS24和 CYP6AS25。这些基因序列都包含编码蛋白疏水螺旋区Ⅰ和血红素结合域的区域。使用MEGA 4.0构建基因树,用PAML 4.0检测选择压力。结果表明：榕小蜂的CYP6AS, CYP6AQ, CYP6CK基因亚家族的扩张可能是在自然选择下通过基因复制方式完成的。基于最大似然法的位点特异性模型对蛋白编码序列选择压力检测发现：榕小蜂CYP6AS亚家族的基因接受净化选择,在氨基酸序列上表现出较高的保守性。     

Human CYP4F3s are the main catalysts in the oxidation of fatty acid epoxides

CYP4F isoforms are involved in the oxidation of important cellular mediators such as leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and prostaglandins. The proinflammatory agent LTB4 and cytotoxic leukotoxins have been associated with several inflammatory diseases. We present evidence that the hydroxylation of Z 9(10)-epoxyoctadecanoic, Z 9(10)-epoxyoctadec-Z 12-enoic, and Z 12(13)-epoxyoctadec-Z 9-enoic acids and that of monoepoxides from arachidonic acid [epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET)] is important in the regulation of leukotoxin and EET activity. These three epoxidized derivatives from the C18 family (C18-epoxides) were converted to 18-hydroxy-C18-epoxides by human hepatic microsomes with apparent Km values of between 27.6 and 175 microM. Among recombinant P450 enzymes, CYP4F2 and CYP4F3B catalyzed mainly the omega-hydroxylation of C18-epoxides with an apparent Vmax of between 0.84 and 15.0 min(-1), whereas the apparent Vmax displayed by CYP4F3A, the isoform found in leukocytes, ranged from 3.0 to 21.2 min(-1). The rate of omega-hydroxylation by CYP4A11 was experimentally found to be between 0.3 and 2.7 min(-1). CYP4F2 and CYP4F3 exhibited preferences for omega-hydroxylation of Z 8(9)-EET, whereas human liver microsomes preferred Z 11(12)-EET and, to a lesser extent, Z 8(9)-EET. Moreover, vicinal diol from both C18-epoxides and EETs were omega-hydroxylated by liver microsomes and by CYP4F2 and CYP4F3. These data support the hypothesis that the human CYP4F subfamily is involved in the omega-hydroxylation of fatty acid epoxides. These findings demonstrate that another pathway besides conversion to vicinal diol or chain shortening by beta-oxidation exists for fatty acid epoxide inactivation.     

水稻扩展蛋白家族的生物信息学分析

扩展蛋白是植物细胞壁的重要组成部分,具有松驰细胞壁和增加细胞壁柔韧性的作用,在植物的生长发育及抗性等方面起到重要的作用。水稻的全基因组序列统计分析显示,水稻扩展蛋白基因家族包含58个成员,分属于A(34)、B(19)、LA(4)和LB(1)4个亚家族,分布在水稻10条染色体上的58个位点,且同一亚家族成员有成簇存在的现象。扩展蛋白基因长度范围为687~1128 bp,编码蛋白质具有保守的结构域,以及保守的半胱氨酸和色氨酸残基。多数情况下,亚家族成员之间的氨基酸一致率小于35%,而同一亚家族成员之间的氨基酸一致率大于35%。在内含子、外显子组成模式上,水稻扩展蛋白呈现明显的亚家族特异性,除个别基因以外,A类基因含有1或2个内含子,B类含有3个内含子,LA和LB类含有4个内含子。密码子使用统计显示,与其他物种相比,水稻中的扩展蛋白具有更多的密码子使用偏好性,有26个高频密码子存在。研究结果展示了水稻扩展蛋白基因家族的基本信息,为深入研究扩展蛋白基因的功能、探讨物种间的进化关系奠定基础。     

Nonlinear relationships among evolutionary rates identify regions of functional divergence in heat-shock protein 70 genes

The neutral theory predicts that, in comparisons among related genes, the number of amino acid replacements per site in a given gene region should be a linear function of that in another region of the same gene, unless the genes have diverged functionally in one region. Therefore, nonlinearity of this relationship can be used to identify regions of possible functional divergence among members of a multigene family. This method of analysis was applied to members of the heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70) gene family, which encode highly conserved ATP- dependent chaperone proteins found in all organisms. A nonlinear relationship was found between the rate of amino acid replacement in the conserved IA domain of the ATPase portion of the molecule and that in other ATPase domains and the peptide-binding domain. These results suggest that genes in the HSP70 subfamily C (dnaK of bacteria and SSC1 of yeast) may have diverged functionally from other subfamilies in the ATPase domains, especially IIB, whereas SSB1 of yeast has diverged markedly in the peptide-binding domain. Functional divergence within these regions is consistent with what is known about functional differences between the HSP70 subfamilies in yeast.      

Omega oxidation of 3-hydroxy fatty acids by the human CYP4F gene subfamily enzyme CYP4F11

Long-chain 3-hydroxydicarboxylic acids (3-OHDCAs) are thought to arise via beta-oxidation of the corresponding dicarboxylic acids (DCAs), although long-chain DCAs are neither readily transported into nor beta-oxidized in mitochondria. We thus examined whether omega-hydroxylation of 3-hydroxy fatty acids (3-OHFAs), formed via incomplete mitochondrial oxidation, is a more likely pathway for 3-OHDCA production. NADPH-fortified human liver microsomes converted 3-hydroxystearate and 3-hydroxypalmitate to their omega-hydroxylated metabolites, 3,18-dihydroxystearate and 3,16-dihydroxypalmitate, respectively, as identified by GC-MS. Rates of 3,18-dihydroxystearate and 3,16-dihydroxypalmitate formation were 1.23 +/- 0.5 and 1.46 +/- 0.30 nmol product formed/min/mg protein, respectively (mean +/- SD; n = 13). Polyspecific CYP4F antibodies markedly inhibited microsomal omega-hydroxylation of 3-hydroxystearate (68%) and 3-hydroxypalmitate (99%), whereas CYP4A11 and CYP2E1 antibodies had little effect. Upon reconstitution, CYP4F11 and, to a lesser extent, CYP4F2 catalyzed omega-hydroxylation of 3-hydroxystearate, whereas CYP4F3b, CYP4F12, and CYP4A11 exhibited negligible activity. CYP4F11 was the lone CYP4F/A enzyme that effectively oxidized 3-hydroxypalmitate. Kinetic parameters of microsomal 3-hydroxystearate metabolism were K(m) = 55 microM and V(max) = 8.33 min(-1), whereas those for 3-hydroxypalmitate were K(m) = 56.4 microM and V(max) = 14.2 min(-1). CYP4F11 kinetic values resembled those of native microsomes, with K(m) = 53.5 microM and V(max) = 13.9 min(-1) for 3-hydroxystearate and K(m) = 105.8 microM and V(max) = 70.6 min(-1) for 3-hydroxypalmitate. Our data show that 3-hydroxystearate and 3-hydroxypalmitate are converted to omega-hydroxylated 3-OHDCA precursors in human liver and that CYP4F11 is the predominant catalyst of this reaction. CYP4F11-promoted omega-hydroxylation of 3-OHFAs may modulate the disposition of these compounds in pathological states in which enhanced fatty acid mobilization or impairment of mitochondrial fatty acid beta-oxidation increases circulating 3-OHFA levels.     

Evidence for 26 distinct acyl-coenzyme A synthetase genes in the human genome

Acyl-coenzyme A synthetases (ACSs) catalyze the fundamental, initial reaction in fatty acid metabolism. "Activation" of fatty acids by thioesterification to CoA allows their participation in both anabolic and catabolic pathways. The availability of the sequenced human genome has facilitated the investigation of the number of ACS genes present. Using two conserved amino acid sequence motifs to probe human DNA databases, 26 ACS family genes/proteins were identified. ACS activity in either humans or rodents was demonstrated previously for 20 proteins, but 6 remain candidate ACSs. For two candidates, cDNA was cloned, protein was expressed in COS-1 cells, and ACS activity was detected. Amino acid sequence similarities were used to assign enzymes into subfamilies, and subfamily assignments were consistent with acyl chain length preference. Four of the 26 proteins did not fit into a subfamily, and bootstrap analysis of phylograms was consistent with evolutionary divergence. Three additional conserved amino acid sequence motifs were identified that likely have functional or structural roles. The existence of many ACSs suggests that each plays a unique role, directing the acyl-CoA product to a specific metabolic fate. Knowing the full complement of ACS genes in the human genome will facilitate future studies to characterize their specific biological functions.     

Subfamilies and nearest-neighbour dendrogram for the LTRs of human endogenous retroviruses HERV-K mapped on human chromosome 19: physical neighbourhood does not correlate with identity level

Sequences of 45 long terminal repeats (LTRs) of the human endogenous retroviruses HERV-K family, precisely mapped by us earlier on human chromosome 19, were determined and a nearest-neighbour dendrogram was constructed. No correlation was observed between the degree of identity of the LTR pairs and their relative positions on the chromosome. Thus, sequences of distantly located LTRs, even positioned on different chromosome arms, could be highly similar to each other, whereas those of closely located LTRs could differ significantly. We conclude that the LTRs have randomly transposed across the chromosome in the course of evolution. The alignment of the LTR sequences allowed us to assign most of the LTRs to two major subfamilies. The LTRs belonging to the first subfamily (LTR-I) are characterised by higher intrasubfamily sequence divergence than those of the second subfamily (LTR-II). The two subfamilies are easily distinguished by the presence of characteristic deletions/insertions in the LTR sequences. The higher divergence of the first subfamily members suggests that their propagation started at earlier stages of evolution, probably soon after the insertion of their ancestral sequence into the primate genome. In turn, each of the subfamilies includes several distinct branches with various degrees of intragroup divergence and with characteristic diagnostic features, suggesting that the members of the branches represent amplified copies of particular master genes which had appeared at different periods of evolution. The sequences of the LTRs demonstrate a characteristic distribution of conservative and variable regions, indicating that the LTRs might have some sequence-dependent functions in the primate genome. Received: 11 August 1997 / Accepted: 22 September 1997     

CYP86B1 Is Required for Very Long Chain ω-Hydroxyacid and α,ω-Dicarboxylic Acid Synthesis in Root and Seed Suberin Polyester

Suberin composition of various plants including Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) has shown the presence of very long chain fatty acid derivatives C20 in addition to the C16 and C18 series. Phylogenetic studies and plant genome mining have led to the identification of putative aliphatic hydroxylases belonging to the CYP86B subfamily of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases. In Arabidopsis, this subfamily is represented by CYP86B1 and CYP86B2, which share about 45% identity with CYP86A1, a fatty acid ω-hydroxylase implicated in root suberin monomer synthesis. Here, we show that CYP86B1 is located to the endoplasmic reticulum and is highly expressed in roots. Indeed, CYP86B1 promoter-driven β-glucuronidase expression indicated strong reporter activities at known sites of suberin production such as the endodermis. These observations, together with the fact that proteins of the CYP86B type are widespread among plant species, suggested a role of CYP86B1 in suberin biogenesis. To investigate the involvement of CYP86B1 in suberin biogenesis, we characterized an allelic series of cyp86B1 mutants of which two strong alleles were knockouts and two weak ones were RNA interference-silenced lines. These root aliphatic plant hydroxylase lines had a root and a seed coat aliphatic polyester composition in which C22- and C24-hydroxyacids and α,ω-dicarboxylic acids were strongly reduced. However, these changes did not affect seed coat permeability and ion content in leaves. The presumed precursors, C22 and C24 fatty acids, accumulated in the suberin polyester. These results demonstrate that CYP86B1 is a very long chain fatty acid hydroxylase specifically involved in polyester monomer biosynthesis during the course of plant development.     

CYP4F3B is induced by PGA1 in human liver cells: a regulation of the 20-HETE synthesis

The regulation of the human liver-specific cytochrome P450 4F3B (CYP4F3B) isoform, a splice variant of the CYP4F3 gene with strong substrate specificity for long chain fatty acids, is yet an unsolved question. This report provides the first evidence that CYP4F3B is uniquely induced by prostaglandin A(1) (PGA(1)) in human hepatocyte-like HepaRG cells and leads to the synthesis of 20-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs). Real time PCR, immunoblot analysis with a specific antipeptide antibody, and determination of fatty acid omega-hydroxylase activity demonstrate that PGA(1) treatment strongly increases expression of CYP4F3B. This induction drives the production of 20-HETE (19-fold increase). SiRNA-mediated-silencing of CYP4F3 suppresses both 20-HETE synthesis and PGA(1) induced 20-HETE production. Taken together, these results provide evidence that CYP4F3B is the key enzyme to produce 20-HETE by omega-hydroxylation of arachidonic acid in liver cells. Since 20-HETE is a potent activator of PPARalpha and an important inflammatory mediator, CYP4F3B may exert important functions in lipid homeostasis and in inflammatory diseases.