Preparation of homogeneous NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase from rat hepatoma.

NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase was purified to homogeneity from hepatoma 5123t.c.(H) microsomes from phenobarbital and hydrocortisone-treated rats by detergent solubilization and affinity chromatography with an overall 8% recovery. The purified enzyme has a minimum subunit molecular weight of 79 000 and contains one molecule each of FMN and FAD per 79 000 molecular weight. The purified hepatoma cytochrome P-450 reductase catalyzes electron transfer to artificial electron acceptors with Km values similar to those of purified liver reductase. The Km value of the hepatoma reductase for NADPH, 13 microM, is also similar to that of purified liver reductase. The tumor reductase appears immunochemically identical to liver reductase by Ouchterlony double-diffusion analysis and inhibition of activity. Peptide maps of the hepatoma and hepatic enzymes after proteolysis demonstrate the identity of the two proteins.

The drug metabolism systems of liver and liver tumors: a comparison of activities and characteristics.

Transplantable rat liver tumors 5123 t.c., 7288 ct.c., 5123 t.c.(H) and the Novikoff hepatoma have active mixed function oxidase systems capable of metabolizing a variety of drug and polycyclic hydrocarbon substrates. The tumor drug metabolism systems are at best 20% as active as rat liver. The tumor drug metabolism activities are induced by pretreatment with phenobarbital or beta-naphthoflavone and can be inhibited with specific inhibitors such as carbon monoxide or 7,8-benzoflavone. Tumor drug metabolism systems appear to consist of cytochrome P-450 and cytochrome P-450 reductase. The properties of the two protein components from tumors are highly similar to the corresponding components of the liver drug metabolism system. Cytochrome P-450 reductase has been at least partially purified from the Novikoff hepatoma and hepatoma 5123 t.c.(H). The kinetic and physical properties of the tumor reductases are similar to those of the liver reductase except that the Km of hepatoma 5123 t.c.(H) reductase, but not of the Novikoff hepatoma reductase for NADPH, is elevated an order of magnitude over the Km of the liver reductase. The mechanism for the interaction of electron donor and electron acceptor with liver or tumor reductases seems to be a sequential reaction mechanism. Experiments on the NADP-inhibition of the interaction of NADPH and cytochrome c with liver reductase indicate that NADP is competitive with NADPH and noncompetitive with cytochrome c. This result is consistent with the postulate of a sequential reaction for NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductases of liver and tumors. These data support the conclusions that an active drug metabolism system is present in liver tumors and that the tumor systems are constituted like the liver system.