Analysis of protein induction in the CNS of SJL mice with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis by proteomic screening and immunohistochemistry.

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by demyelination and inflammatory infiltrates in the CNS, and it is an animal model of multiple sclerosis. Piperonyl butoxide (PBO) suppresses disease in EAE mice, and it exhibits a dual effect on cytochrome P450s that manifests in a transient inhibitory phase followed by induction. In order to identify the expression of proteins associated with EAE, a proteomic screening was performed on hindbrain microsomes from control + vehicle, control + PBO, EAE + vehicle, and EAE + PBO female mice. Glucose regulated protein 94 (Grp94) and coagulation factor VIII were among the proteins identified in EAE + vehicle and EAE + PBO mice. Immunohistochemical staining of Grp94 was present in some neurons and oligodendrocytes in hindbrain sections from control animals, and in some cells within inflammatory infiltrates in EAE animals. Since Grp94 (also known as Gp96) can partake in antigen presentation and induction of proinflammatory cytokine expression, its presence in these cells suggests that it may play a role in the pathogenesis of EAE. Coagulation factor VIII is carried and protected by von Willebrand factor. Immunohistochemical staining of von Willebrand factor revealed its presence in some vessels within hindbrain sections from control animals. In EAE animals, the number of labeled vessels was significantly increased, and extracellular granular deposits were observed around labeled vessels indicating that the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier that occurs in EAE permitted its extravasation into the CNS. Additional proteins were identified in the different groups of mice by proteomic screening, but confirmation of their expression profile awaits investigations by independent measures.

Heme-coordinating analogs of lauric acid as inhibitors of fatty acid omega-hydroxylation.

A series of omega-substituted fatty acids with potential heme-coordinating groups was synthesized as inhibitors of lauric acid omega-hydroxylation. The compounds were evaluated using liver microsomes from clofibrate (CF)-induced rats and an engineered expressed CYP4A1-derived fusion protein called f4A1. omega-Imidazolyl-decanoic acid (compound 11) and omega-aminolauric acid (compound 7) were potent Type II ligands and potent inhibitors of lauric acid omega-hydroxylation in both CF-microsomes and f4A1. Replacing their terminal amino or imidazolyl groups with other potential iron-binding groups such as omega-methylsulfinyl-, omega-cyano-, omega-azido-, or omega-formamido all greatly reduced their potency as inhibitors of omega-hydroxylation and their affinity for cytochrome P450 as measured by Ks values. In CF-microsomes, inhibition of (omega-1)-hydroxylation of lauric acid by a homologous series of omega-imidazolyl-alkanoic acids varied only 2-fold but in the same incubations inhibition of omega-hydroxylation increased 22-fold upon going from C-8 to C-12. A similar dependence of binding affinity and inhibitory potency on chain length was also seen in the f4A1 system. In contrast, chain length had little effect on activity among n-alkylamines or N-alkylimidazoles lacking a carboxyl or other polar functional group, suggesting that 7, 11, and related bifunctional compounds interact with CYP4A1 in CF-microsomes and with f4A1 in a specific bidentate fashion. Imidazoles containing phenyl, benzyl, or phenylethyl substituents at N-1 interact less strongly than related N-alkyl-imidazoles of similar carbon number and hydrophobicity, suggesting that the steric bulk and/or rigidity of the phenyl ring is not well accommodated in the active site.

Effect of different solubilizing agents on the aggregation state and catalytic activity of two purified rabbit cytochrome P450 isozymes, CYP1A2 (LM4) and CYP2B4 (LM2).

The effects of different ionic and nonionic detergents and lecithin/Na cholate mixtures on the aggregation state and catalytic activity of two major inducible rabbit cytochromes P450, CYP1A2 (LM4) and CYP2B4 (LM2), both of which are highly aggregated in solution, have been compared. Nonionic detergents Emulgen 913 and Lubrol PX as well as the mixture of lecithin-cholate demonstrate the ability to induce the dissociation of P450 isozymes only to dimers, accompanied by an increase in their catalytic activity, especially in lecithin proteoliposomes.

Heteroatom substitution shifts regioselectivity of lauric acid metabolism from omega-hydroxylation to (omega-1)-oxidation.

In contrast to several isoforms of cytochrome P450 (including 1A1, 1A2, 2B1, 2C2, 2C6 and 2E1), cytochrome P450 4A1 and a fusion protein derived from it, show a strong preference for hydroxylation of lauric acid (C12) at the less chemically reactive omega-CH3 group instead of the more reactive (omega-1)-CH2 group. We have explored the interplay of steric effects on substrate binding vs chemical reactivity at various substrate loci in determining the striking difference in regioselectivity of CYP2B1 and a 4A1-derived fusion protein, through studies with heteroatom substituted analogs of lauric acid, i.e., 10-methoxydecanoic acid and 10-methylthiodecanoic acid. With both enzymes the former undergoes simple omega-hydroxylation (giving 10-hydroxydecanoic acid and HCHO), but the latter undergoes facile S-oxidation at the omega-1 position instead of omega-hydroxylation. The dramatic shift in the regioselectivity of the fusion protein toward the thia analog is consistent with the greater length of C-S bonds and the greater atomic radius and polarizability of sulfur lone-pair electrons within an otherwise restrictive active site.

Fatty acid discrimination and omega-hydroxylation by cytochrome P450 4A1 and a cytochrome P4504A1/NADPH-P450 reductase fusion protein.

The omega-hydroxylation of fatty acids by certain cytochrome P450 enzymes shows a degree of chain-length and regionspecificity which is remarkable in view of the conformational flexibility of these substrates, the strong similarity in properties among homologs, and the lack of polar groups (other than the carboxy terminus) with which to guide and strength enzyme-substrate interactions. To investigate the chemical basis for these features of omega-hydroxylation we designed and synthesized a series of lauric acid analogs and evaluated them as substrates and inhibitors of omega-hydroxylation catalyzed by cytochrome P4504A1 and a cytochrome P450 4A1/NADPH-P450 reductase fusion protein. Among n-alkanoic acids, lauric acid was found to have the optimum chain length for the fusion protein, as it does for native cytochrome P450 4A1. With both enzymes, chain shortening caused a precipitous drop in turnover while chain lengthening caused a gradual drop in turnover. The fusion protein omega-hydroxylated methyl laurate and lauryl alcohol about 1/10th as efficiently as lauric acid, but it did not hydroxylate lauramide. 10-Methoxydecanoic acid underwent O-demethylation (via omega-hydroxylation). The branched substrate 11-methyllauric acid was hydroxylated efficiently and selectively at the omega-position. In contrast, the cyclopropyl analog 11,12-methanolauric acid was not detectably hydroxylated, although it induced Type I binding spectrum and inhibited lauric acid omega-hydroxylation by 43% at equimolar concentrations. omega-(Imidazolyl)-decanoic acid induced a Type II heme-binding spectrum and was an especially potent inhibitor of lauric acid hydroxylation. Collectively these data suggest that the active site of cytochrome P450 4A1 has an elongated tubular shape of definite length (ca. 14 A) with a recognition site for polar groups (including but not limited to carboxyl) at its entrance and the (oxo)heme group at its terminus.

Biochemical characterization of lauric acid omega-hydroxylation by a CYP4A1/NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase fusion protein.

The binding and hydroxylation of lauric acid by a genetically engineered and expressed fusion protein comprised of an N-truncated form of rat CYP4A1 linked to an N-truncated form of rat NADPH cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (OR) (constructed by Fisher et al., (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89, 10817-10822) has been characterized biochemically and compared to that shown by purified reconstituted rat CYP4A1 and liver microsomes from clofibrate-induced rats. In all systems lauric acid induced a Type I cytochrome P450 difference spectrum with Ks values in agreement with prior literature (range 10-18 microM). When provided with NADPH and oxygen but no other proteins or lipid, the fusion protein (called f4A1) catalyzed omega-hydroxylation of lauric acid with apparent Km and Vm of 3-4 microM and 4-5 nmol product/min/nmol P450 irrespective of buffer concentration or cation (NaPi or KPi, 25-200 mM); comparable values for reconstituted CYP4A1 and microsomes from clofibrate-induced rats are 9 microM and 34 min-1 and 5 microM and 10 min-1, respectively. (omega-1)-Hydroxylation of lauric acid was barely detectable (omega/(omega-1) = 135) with f4A1 or with reconstituted CYP4A1, but it accounted for up to 50% of total products formed by microsomes from clofibrate-induced rats. When added to the f4A1 system, OR stimulated hydroxylation up to fivefold at a OR:f4A1 ratio of 5:1; additionally, (omega-1)-hydroxylation was routinely observed as a minor process (< 4% of total product) in this system. These effects were also independent of buffer concentration. In contrast addition of cytochrome b5 (b5) caused a small (25%) decrease in omega-hydroxylation, while added phospholipid had no effect. However, the combination of OR, b5, and lipid stimulated turnover approximately 10-fold compared to f4A1 alone, and 11-hydroxylauric acid was regularly formed as a minor (3-4% of total) product. These observations indicate that the fusion protein f4A1 is functionally equivalent to reconstituted CYP4A1 with respect to binding and hydroxylation of lauric acid and suggest that it can be used as an alternative to reconstituted systems for structure-function and mechanistic studies of fatty acid omega-hydroxylation.

Dose-dependent induction of the microsomal monooxygenase system by phenobarbital and 3-methylcholanthrene in the ad libitum and calorie-restricted female rat.

1. We characterized the dose-dependent induction of the microsomal monooxygenase system by phenobarbital (PB) and 3-methylcholanthrene (MC) in the female Fischer 344 rat, which was either calorie restricted (CR) or fed ad libitum (AL). 2. Maximal induction of the major inducible isozymes (2B1/2B2 or 1A1) in rat was achieved at the lowest of the inducer doses employed (10 mg/kg body weight) in both feeding groups. 3. The patterns of dose-dependent PB induction and its magnitude differed between total P450 induction and induction of catalytic activities in AL and CR groups, whereas no differences between CR and AL rat were found in either spectrally detected P450 or EROD activity patterns of dose-dependent MC induction. 4. Calorie restriction increased the inducibility of some hepatic drug-metabolizing enzyme activities. 5. Monoclonal antibody-directed inhibition of MC-induced ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation (EROD) was 55-60% at all induction levels in AL rat and 65-70% in CR rat, while MAb inhibition of PB-induced pentoxyresorufin O-depenthylation (PROD) averaged about 55% in AL and 60% in CR rat.

Ethoxyresorufin and pentoxyresorufin O-dealkylation by hepatic microsomes from female Fischer 344 rats: effects of age and diet.

Ethoxyresorufin (EROD) and pentoxyresorufin (PROD) O-dealkylase activities, and contributions of the P450 cytochromes CYP1A1, CYP2B1 and 2, CYP2C6 and CYP2C12 to these metabolic activities, were evaluated in hepatic microsomes from ad libitum and calorie restricted female Fischer 344 rats across an age continuum from 1 to 26 months. The presence of CYP1A in microsome preparations was confirmed by western blot analysis. Uninduced levels of EROD and PROD peak in very young animals, decline to about 3 months of age, and do not exhibit an additional substantive decline after about 3 months of age. Monoclonal antibody (MAb) 1-7-1 (anti-CYP1A) strongly inhibited EROD activity in all microsome preparations, with the highest levels of inhibition in microsomes from 1- and 3-month-old AL animals. PROD activity in 1-month uninduced animals was apparently not attributable solely to CYP2B1 and 2, since it was inhibited by about 30% in both 1- and 26-month-old AL rats by an MAb specific for CYP2C12. However, in CR rats, CYP2C12 did not contribute to PROD activity. Approximately 40% of PROD activity in old AL rats and 20% of PROD activity in old CR rats was inhibited by an MAb specific for CYP2C6. These data indicate that long-term calorie restriction modulates either the expression or post-translational modification patterns of constitutive P450 isozymes in rats as they age, with P450 patterns in calorie restricted rats more closely resembling those found in young animals.

Microheterogeneity of cytochrome P450(LM2) as revealed by isoelectric focusing.

The homogeneity of different preparations of cytochrome P450(LM2), the major form of cytochrome P450 found in the liver microsomes of phenobarbital-treated rabbits, was checked by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and N-terminal amino acid sequencing. In SDS-PAGE all the preparations migrated as a single protein band of molecular mass 49 kDa. The electrophoretic mobility of this band corresponded to that of the major phenobarbital-inducible band in the microsomes of phenobarbital-treated rabbits. A single N-terminal sequence (Met-Glu-Phe) corresponding to the N-terminal sequence of the LM2 form of cytochrome P450 was revealed by N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis. Isoelectric focusing of electrophoretically homogeneous cytochrome P450(LM2) was conducted in polyacrylamide gel in an LKB Ampholine pH 5-8 gradient under denaturing conditions (9.1 M urea). Under these conditions cytochrome P450(LM2) was resolved into six subfractions in the pH range 6.5-7.75. The data obtained reflect the microheterogeneity of this form of cytochrome P450. The existence of different isoelectric points cannot have been due to different protein conformations because denaturing conditions were used, but seem to reflect different primary structures of the cytochrome subfractions.