Identification of active-site peptides from 3H-labeled 2-ethynylnaphthalene-inactivated P450 2B1 and 2B4 using amino acid sequencing and mass spectrometry

2-Ethynylnaphthalene (2EN) is a mechanism-based inactivator of rat cytochrome P450 (P450) 2B1 with 1.3 mol of adduct bound per mole of P450 inactivated [Roberts, E.S., Hopkins, N.E., Alworth, W.L., & Hollenberg, P.F. (1993) Chem. Res. Toxicol. 6, 470-479]. Further studies have shown that 2EN is also an efficient mechanism-based inactivator of the 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase activity of rabbit P450 2B4 with 0.83 mol of adduct bound per mole of P450. Cleavage of [3H]2EN-inactivated 2B1 with cyanogen bromide, separation of the peptides by HPLC, and further purification of the radiolabeled fraction by Tricine-sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) led to the identification by autoradiography of a radiolabeled peptide (M(r) approximately 3000). Amino acid sequence analysis of the first 12 N-terminal residues revealed the sequence ISLLSLFFAGTE corresponding to positions 290-301 in the protein. When the radiolabeled fraction from the HPLC separation was analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), peaks at m/z 2722.5 and 2890.6 were detected. The lower mass peak corresponds to the molecular ion (average mass) of the cyanogen bromide peptide Ile290 to Met314 (theoretical 2722.2), while the higher mass peak corresponds to the same peptide with a bound 2-naphthylacetyl group (theoretical 2890.4). When [3H]2EN-inactivated 2B4 was treated with cyanogen bromide, the peptides were separated by HPLC, and the fractions were analyzed by Tricine-SDS-PAGE, two radiolabeled peptides (M(r) = 5000 and 8000) were identified by autoradiography. Amino acid sequence analysis of the first 11 residues revealed identical N-termini with the sequence EKDKSDPSSEF corresponding to positions 273-283.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The mechanism of stimulation of NADPH oxidation during the mechanism-based inactivation of cytochrome P450 2B1 by N-methylcarbazole: redox cycling and DNA scission

The oxidation rate of NADPH is markedly stimulated during the mechanism-based inactivation of cytochrome P450 2B1 by N-methylcarbazole (NMC) in a reconstituted system consisting of NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase, cytochrome P450 and phospholipid. The stimulation of NADPH oxidation in this system is due to 1-hydroxy-N-methylcarbazole (1-OH-NMC), one of the major metabolites of NMC. The 1-OH-NMC is further metabolized in an NADPH-dependent manner by the reconstituted system or by purified NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase to give a more polar metabolite which has been isolated by HPLC. The conversion of 1-OH-NMC to this product was inhibited by superoxide dismutase (SOD), and incubation of the 1-OH-NMC with hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase resulted in the formation of the same product, suggesting that the superoxide anion was involved in the metabolism of 1-OH-NMC by the reductase. Redox cycling activity during the metabolism of 1-OH-NMC by reductase has been demonstrated. The oxidation of NADPH by the reductase in the presence of 35 microM 1-OH-NMC was enhanced approximately 23-fold [240 nmol of NADPH oxidized/(min.nmol of reductase)] relative to control levels in the presence of 500 microM NMC [10.5 nmol/(min.nmol of reductase)]. 1-OH-NMC (35 microM) caused a 40-fold increase in the rate of formation of superoxide during its metabolism by reductase. The rapid rates of NADPH oxidation and superoxide formation were inhibited by the addition of reduced glutathione (GSH) to the reaction mixture. Neither SOD nor GSH inhibited the reductase activity directly.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The effect of cytosol on liver microsomal metabolic activation and demethylation of N-nitrosodimethylamine

The role of rat liver cytosol in the demethylation and metabolic activation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) was examined. Addition of cytosol to liver microsomes from pyridine-pretreated rats enhanced DNA alkylation by NDMA 10- to 14-fold over microsomes alone, while cytosol alone had little DNA alkylating activity. The cytosolic activity responsible for the enhancement of DNA alkylation was heat labile, required NADPH, and was not a general protein effect. Addition of cytosol to purified rabbit liver cytochrome P450 2E1 in a reconstituted system consisting of NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase, 2E1, and phospholipid produced an 18-fold increase in DNA alkylation over that observed with the reconstituted system alone. The cytosolic activity responsible for the enhancement of DNA alkylation did not work by inhibition of lipid peroxidation, nor did the addition of cytosol affect the level of NADPH present in the reaction mixtures. Attempts to identify the cytosolic component(s) responsible for the DNA alkylation enhancing activity demonstrated no evidence for the involvement of sulfhydryl-dependent enzymes, a flavoprotein, or conjugating enzymes. Studies with semicarbazide and phenylhydrazine suggest that carbonyl groups may be involved in the cytosolic activity. Measurements of NDMA demethylation demonstrated that cytosol addition led to a significant decrease in formaldehyde production, indicating that cytosol was not enhancing the activation of NDMA to a DNA alkylating species by facilitating the cytochrome P450-catalyzed demethylation reaction, and suggested that a cytosolic reaction might be occurring at the expense of formaldehyde formation.

Enhanced expression of rat hepatic CYP2B1/2B2 and 2E1 by pyridine: differential induction kinetics and molecular basis of expression

Expression of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2B subfamily in rat and rabbit hepatic tissues after pyridine (PY) treatment has been examined, and the molecular basis for enhanced 2B1/2B2 expression has been determined. P450 expression was monitored using metabolic activity, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblot analyses, and the identity of the proteins was confirmed through N-terminus microsequence analysis. PY caused a dose-dependent elevation of hepatic CYP2B1/B2B levels in rats, which ranged from 4- to 22-fold over the dosing regimen of 100 to 400 mg PY/kg/day, for 3 days, respectively. PY at low dose failed to induce CYP2B in rabbit hepatic tissue, suggesting a species-dependent response in 2B expression. Anti-2B1 IgG addition to PY-induced microsomes inhibited benzphetamine N-demethylase activity by only approximately 15%, in sharp contrast to the approximately 73% inhibition observed for phenobarbital-induced microsomes, suggesting the induction of other form(s) of P450 having benzphetamine N-demethylase activity. Northern blot analysis revealed that PY treatment increased 2B1 and 2B2 poly(A)+ RNA levels approximately 69- and approximately 34-fold, respectively, whereas the 2E1 poly(A)+ RNA levels failed to increase. The results of this study show that PY induces CYP2B1/2B2 and that induction is species-dependent and kinetically distinguishable from 2E1 induction. Moreover, 2B1/2B2 induction occurs as a result of elevated mRNA levels associated with either transcriptional activation or mRNA stabilization, and it differs from the mechanism of hepatic 2E1 induction by PY.

Mechanism-based inactivation of cytochrome P450 2B1 by 2-ethynylnaphthalene: identification of an active-site peptide

The 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase activity of rat liver cytochrome P450 2B1 reconstituted with NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase and lipid was inactivated by 2-ethynylnaphthalene (2EN) in a time- and NADPH-dependent manner, and the loss of activity followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. The extrapolated KI and kinactivation were 0.08 microM and 0.83 min-1, respectively. The loss of 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylation activity displayed a number of characteristics consistent with mechanism-based inactivation, including irreversibility, saturability, protection by an alternate substrate, and the lack of an effect of exogenous nucleophiles on the inactivation. The inactivation was not accompanied by a concomitant loss of spectrally detectable cytochrome P450. HPLC analysis showed that [3H]2EN was irreversibly bound to the protein moiety of cytochrome P450 and the stoichiometry of inactivation was approximately 1.3 mol of 2EN bound per mole of cytochrome P450. Liquid chromatographic and GC-MS analyses of the organic extracts from these incubations showed that the major metabolite was 2-naphthylacetic acid, and a partition ratio of 4-5 mol of acid produced per mole of cytochrome P450 2B1 inactivated was determined. A radiolabeled peptide, approximately 6.5 kDa when analyzed by Tricine-sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), was isolated by HPLC from a tryptic digest of the [3H]2EN-inactivated cytochrome P450 and NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase. Sequence data were obtained after cyanogen bromide cleavage of this amino-terminally blocked peptide. These results in conjunction with the results from the cleavage of the intact [3H]2EN-inactivated cytochrome P450 by cyanogen bromide and separation of the peptides either by HPLC or by Tricine-SDS-PAGE followed by transfer of the peptides to a poly(vinylidene difluoride) membrane and sequencing of the labeled peptides from both experiments, led to the identification of a 2EN-modified active-site peptide with the sequence ISLLSLFFAGTETSSTTLRYGFLLM. This corresponds to positions 290-314 in cytochrome P450 2B1. Sequence alignments of cytochrome P450 2B1 with cytochrome P450 2B1 with cytochrome P450 101 predict that this region might correspond to helix I of the bacterial protein [Poulos, T.L. (1988) Pharm. Res. 5, 67-75] that contains a highly conserved threonine residue involved in oxygen binding.

Mechanisms of cytochrome P450 and peroxidase-catalyzed xenobiotic metabolism

The cytochrome P450 enzyme systems catalyze the metabolism of a wide variety of naturally occurring and foreign compounds by reactions requiring NADPH and O2. Cytochrome P450 also catalyzes peroxide-dependent hydroxylation of substrates in the absence of NADPH and O2. Peroxidases such as chloroperoxidase and horseradish peroxidase catalyze peroxide-dependent reactions similar to those catalyzed by cytochrome P450. The kinetic and chemical mechanisms of the NADPH and O2-supported dealkylation reactions catalyzed by P450 have been investigated and compared with those catalyzed by P450 and peroxidases when the reactions are supported by peroxides. Detailed kinetic studies demonstrated that chloroperoxidase- and horseradish peroxidase-catalyzed N-demethylations proceed by a Ping Pong Bi Bi mechanism whereas P450-catalyzed O-dealkylations proceed by sequential mechanisms. Intramolecular isotope effect studies demonstrated that N-demethylations catalyzed by P450s and peroxidases proceed by different mechanisms. Most hemeproteins investigated catalyzed these reactions via abstraction of an alpha-carbon hydrogen whereas reactions catalyzed by P-450 and chloroperoxidase proceeded via an initial one-electron oxidation followed by alpha-carbon deprotonation. 18O-Labeling studies of the metabolism of NMC also demonstrated differences between the peroxidases and P450s. Because the hemeprotein prosthetic groups of P450, chloroperoxidase, and horseradish peroxidase are identical, the differences in the catalytic mechanisms result from differences in the environments provided by the proteins for the heme active site. It is suggested that the axial heme-iron thiolate moiety in P450 and chloroperoxidase may play a critical role in determining the mechanism of N-demethylation reactions catalyzed by these proteins.

Differential effects of proteinase K on the components of the liver microsomal cytochrome P-450 mixed function oxidase system

Mild proteolysis of rat liver microsomes with increasing concentrations of proteinase K caused a marked decrease in the levels of microsomal cytochrome P-450 reductase (Fp) without having any significant effect on the cytochrome P-450s. About 20% of the microsomal cytochrome b5 was susceptible to proteolysis at low concentrations of proteinase K, while the remaining 80% was resistant to proteolysis, even at significantly higher proteinase K concentrations. Low concentrations of the proteases released about 30% of Fp from microsomes isolated from both uninduced and phenobarbital-induced rats, but did not affect the rates of benzphetamine bital-induced rats, but did not affect the rates of benzphetamine demethylation significantly. Further depletion of microsomal Fp at higher concentrations of proteinase K resulted in reductions of the rates of benzphetamine demethylation. However, even at higher protease concentrations, the decrease in the rate of the demethylation reaction was significantly less than the loss of Fp. Similar results were observed for the metabolism of two other substrates, 7-ethoxycoumarin and p-nitroanisole, suggesting that the P-450s, not the Fp, were the rate-limiting components in the metabolism of these xenobiotics by microsomes. It is clear that the decreases in the P-450-dependent oxidations were due to depletion of the NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase since reconstituting the protease-treated microsomes with native Fp restored the oxidation reactions. The amount of Fp required to completely restore the oxidation of benzphetamine only partially restored the oxidation of 7-ethoxycoumarin and p-nitroanisole.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Metabolism of N-nitrosodimethyl- and N-nitrosodiethylamine by rat hepatocytes: effects of pretreatment with ethanol

Hepatocytes were isolated from the livers of ethanol-pretreated rats, and the relationship between the generation of CO2 and the loss of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) from the incubation mixtures was examined. The evolution of CO2 by hepatocytes isolated from untreated, control rats was compared with the evolution of CO2 by hepatocytes isolated from rats treated with 10% EtOH in their drinking water. The CO2 generated from either NDMA or NDEA represented only a fraction of the parent compound that was metabolized during the incubation period. Therefore, the measurement of CO2 evolution as an indication of the metabolism of these simple dialkylnitrosamines is inadequate, and the actual loss of the parent compound must be measured directly when utilizing isolated hepatocytes as a model system to study the metabolism of nitrosamines. The liver microsomal metabolism of NDMA and NDEA was also examined. Pretreatment of the rats with ethanol resulted in a marked increase in the microsomal metabolism of NDMA but had a relatively small effect on NDEA metabolism. Phenobarbital pretreatment did not result in any increase in NDMA metabolism whereas there was a very significant (6-fold) increase in NDEA metabolism. These results suggest that different isozymes of cytochrome P-450 may be primarily responsible for the metabolism of the two nitrosamines. The inhibition patterns observed when an antibody inhibitory to cytochrome P-450j was added to microsomes derived from control and ethanol- and phenobarbital-pretreated rats conclusively demonstrate that NDMA and NDEA are preferentially metabolized by distinct isozymes of cytochrome P-450.

Labeling of albumin secreted from isolated rat hepatocytes during the metabolism of N-nitrosodimethyl- and N-nitrosodiethylamine

The metabolic activation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) to reactive intermediates which covalently bind to cellular proteins was investigated. Isolated hepatocytes were used to determine whether protein alkylation is random in nature or whether it results in the alkylation of specific proteins. Isolated hepatocytes from rats treated with either ethanol (EtOH) or phenobarbital were incubated with the 14C-labeled nitrosamines for 1-3 h, after which the cells were separated from the incubation medium in order to distinguish secreted proteins from intracellular proteins. SDS-PAGE of the proteins in the medium followed by fluorographic analysis of the gels revealed that a heavily labeled protein was secreted into the medium which represents the predominantly labeled protein. Intracellularly, the major portion of the covalently bound label was found in the region of the gel where the cytochromes P-450 migrate. Pretreatment of the hepatocytes with diethyl maleate and buthionine sulfoximine to decrease the intracellular levels of glutathione had no effect on the labeling, indicating that glutathione does not protect cellular proteins from labeling by these carcinogens. Pretreatment of the cells with D-(+)-galactosamine to inhibit UDP-glucuronyltransferases resulted in a significant decrease in protein labeling by NDEA, suggesting that a glucuronide intermediate may be involved in the activation of NDEA to an alkylating species. The heavily labeled protein secreted into the incubation medium was identified as albumin on the basis of its apparent molecular weight of 66K, as determined by SDS-PAGE, and its cross-reactivity with anti-rat albumin IgG.

Oxidative N-demethylation of N,N-dimethylaniline by purified isozymes of cytochrome P-450

The metabolism of N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) by rabbit liver microsomes results in the formation of N-methylaniline (NMA) and formaldehyde. The N-oxide of DMA (DMA N-oxide) has been suggested as an intermediate in the cytochrome P-450-catalyzed demethylation reaction. The role of DMA N-oxide as an intermediate in demethylation has been investigated in a reconstituted system consisting of NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase, phospholipid, and several different purified isozymes of cytochrome P-450. The abilities of several cytochrome P-450 isozymes from rabbit liver (P-450 form 2 and P-450 form 4) and rat liver (P-450b and P-450c) to catalyze N-oxide formation and their abilities to catalyze demethylation of the N-oxide were determined and compared with their abilities to catalyze the demethylation of DMA. The metabolism of DMA by the purified isozymes of cytochrome P-450 in the reconstituted system did not result in the formation of measurable amounts of the N-oxide. The turnover numbers for the metabolism of DMA and DMA N-oxide to formaldehyde by the reconstituted system containing cytochrome P-450 form 2 were 25.6 and 3.4 nmol/min/nmol cytochrome P-450, respectively. The three other isozymes (P-450 form 4, P-450b, and P-450c) also exhibited significantly greater rates for the demethylation of DMA than for the N-oxide. If the N-oxide were an intermediate in the demethylation reaction, it should be metabolized at a rate greater than or at least equal to DMA. Therefore, these data, along with the inability to detect N-oxide formation during the cytochrome P-450-catalyzed demethylation of DMA, suggest that the N-oxide of DMA is not an intermediate in demethylation of DMA by these forms of cytochrome P-450 and that DMA N-oxidase activity is not associated with these isozymes.

Tubular basement membrane change occurs pari passu with the development of cyst formation

Our previous studies have shown that 2-amino-4,5-diphenyl thiazole hydrochloride (DPT) administered orally to rats induces a urine concentrating defect (within 1 to 2 days) and progressive, but reversible, cystic change of all collecting tubules (prominent between 4 and 8 weeks). Cystic change was characterized by tubular cell and basement membrane changes consisting of alterations in cellular biosynthetic/secretory organelles, followed by thickening of the basement membrane with marked reduction (approximately 50%) of the de novo synthesis of sulfated proteoglycans, suggesting that altered synthesis of tubular basement membrane plays a role in the development of cystic disease. In this study, following the administration of [14C]-DPT in vivo, a major urinary metabolite (greater than 70%) was isolated by HPLC and characterized by gas chromatographic-mass spectral and NMR analyses as 2-amino-4-hydroxyphenyl-5 phenyl thiazole, designated phenol II. Phenol II was synthesized and administered orally to rats for four days to compare its biological effects with DPT. Phenol II induced a significantly greater impairment of concentrating ability and tubular cystic transformation than DPT. At day 5, in phenol II treated animals, basement membranes lining cysts were thickened several-fold and exhibited extensive loss and disorder of ruthenium red binding sites, indicative of loss of sulfated proteoglycans (heparin sulfate proteoglycan). The basement membrane changes occurred in tandem with the development of cystic transformation and strongly suggests that the basement membrane has a key role in the pathogenesis of PKD. The findings support the hypothesis that PKD may be due to a defect in the synthesis/degradation of one or more basement membrane components (sulfated proteoglycans) resulting in faulty tubular morphogenesis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Uptake of N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine by isolated rat and hamster hepatocytes: species differences and evidence for an active carrier-mediated transport process

The rates of uptake of the carcinogen N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP) by hepatocytes isolated from Fischer rats and Syrian hamsters were determined in order to investigate species differences in cellular transport of the carcinogen. Initial rates of uptake of [1-14C]BOP by hepatocytes were measured using a rapid centrifugation technique. At cell densities from 1.5 to 6 x 10(6) cells/ml, initial rates of uptake were as much as 4-fold more rapid in hamster hepatocytes than in those of the rat. The cell/medium distribution ratio for hamster hepatocytes reached a value of 9.0 after a 20-min incubation with an extracellular BOP concentration of 20 microM. Under the same conditions, the cell/medium distribution ratio for rat hepatocytes was only 2.4. These results indicated that BOP uptake proceeded against a concentration gradient and was more rapid in hamster hepatocytes. In both species, the rates of uptake were saturable with increasing concentration (2-685 microM) and displayed biphasic kinetics characteristic of high-affinity (Km less than 20 microM) and low-affinity (Km greater than 30 microM) processes for the uptake of BOP. Evidence for the involvement of an ATP-dependent active carrier-mediated transport process was obtained from experiments in which hepatocytes were preincubated with metabolic inhibitors. Significant inhibition of uptake was observed in the presence of KCN, carbonyl cyanide-3-chlorophenylhydrazone, antimycin A, oligomycin and other agents which interfere with electron transport or ATP generation. Based on the reduction in uptake rates, rat hepatocytes were more sensitive to the effects of these inhibitors. These results suggest that the entry of BOP into hepatocytes is under cellular regulation and that the more rapid rate of uptake in liver cells of the hamster may be one factor responsible for the observation that BOP is a more potent hepatotoxin and carcinogen in this species.

Species specificity in the metabolism of N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine and N-nitroso(2-hydroxypropyl)(2-oxopropyl)amine to mutagens by isolated rat and hamster hepatocytes

The metabolic activation of the carcinogens N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP) and N-nitroso(2-hydroxypropyl)(2-oxopropyl)amine (HPOP) by Fischer rat and Syrian hamster hepatocytes was investigated in order to determine the existence of species differences in the induction of cell mutation. The conversion of BOP and HPOP into forms mutagenic to V79 cells was studied by using the hepatocyte-mediated mutagenicity assay. Mutations at the hypoxanthine:guanine phosphoribosyltransferase locus and the Na-K-ATPase locus were scored by the induction of 6-thioguanine resistance (TGr) or ouabain resistance (Ouar), respectively. Hepatocytes of both species were capable of converting BOP and HPOP to mutagens for V79 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Metabolism of BOP by rat hepatocytes resulted in higher mutation frequencies than that by hamster hepatocytes. At a BOP concentration of 240 microM, rat hepatocyte metabolism yielded 90.7 TGr mutants and 19.5 Ouar mutants per 10(5) V79 cells. At the same concentration, hamster hepatocyte metabolism of BOP yielded 54.1 TGr mutants and 13.0 Ouar mutants per 10(5) V79 cells. These results did not correlate with the known carcinogenic potency of BOP in the hamster as compared to the rat. Hamster hepatocytes carried out the catabolism of BOP to CO2 at faster rates than rat hepatocytes; therefore, the species difference in mutagenic activation was not due to a defect in BOP uptake or metabolism by hamster hepatocytes. In contrast, metabolism of HPOP by hamster hepatocytes resulted in significantly higher mutation frequencies than that by rat hepatocytes. At an HPOP concentration of 240 microM, hamster hepatocyte metabolism yielded 83.5 TGr mutants per 10(5) V79 cells; rat hepatocyte metabolism yielded only 19.8 TGr mutants per 10(5) V79 cells. This species difference in mutagenic activation correlated well with the known potency of HPOP as a carcinogen for the hamster as compared to the rat. Since hamster pancreatic cells and subcellular fractions are known to have very limited capacity to perform the metabolic activation of HPOP, the results of this study imply that liver metabolism plays an important role in the conversion of HPOP to an agent(s) which subsequently affects the hamster pancreas. The mutagenic potency of BOP versus HPOP was compared after metabolism by hepatocytes from both species. Following their metabolism by hamster hepatocytes, the two compounds were nearly equivalent in mutagenic potency. After metabolism by rat hepatocytes, BOP was significantly more potent mutagen than HPOP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

An investigation of the antigenic determinants on chloroperoxidase and purified rat liver microsomal cytochrome P-450b

Chloroperoxidase (CPO) exhibits many physicochemical and catalytic properties similar to those of the bacterial and microsomal cytochromes P-450. Therefore, the possible similarities between the antigenic determinants of CPO and rat liver microsomal cytochrome P-450b were investigated. Polyclonal antibodies against CPO and rat liver cytochrome P-450b were raised in rabbits and used to investigate the antigenic cross-reactivity between CPO and P-450b. Although anti-CPO antibodies were capable of inhibiting the ethyl hydroperoxide-supported N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) demethylation activity of CPO by more than 80%, they were unable to inhibit the NADPH-supported demethylation of DMA by cytochrome P-450b in the reconstituted system. The ethyl hydroperoxide-supported demethylation of DMA by CPO was not affected by the addition of anti-P-450b antibodies which inhibited cytochrome P-450 activity greater than 90%. In order to probe for the possible existence of common antigenic determinants which were not involved in catalytic activity, the cross-reactivities were investigated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. There was no cross-reactivity between anti-CPO and cytochrome P-450b, or anti-P-450b and CPO using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. When control, phenobarbital-, isosafrole-, and beta-naphthoflavone-induced rat and rabbit liver microsomes and CPO were analyzed by Western blotting and developed with anti-P-450 antibodies, only the phenobarbital- and isosafrole-induced microsomes showed a positive reaction in the P-450 region. When anti-CPO antibodies were used on Western blots of the same series of proteins, a positive reaction was observed only with CPO.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Species differences in the metabolism of N-nitroso(2-hydroxypropyl)(2-oxopropyl)amine

Hamsters and rats metabolize [1-14C]N-nitroso(2-hydroxypropyl)(2-oxopropyl)amine (HPOP) and N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP) to yield N-nitrosobis(2-hydroxypropyl)-amine (BHP), glucuronic acid conjugates of HPOP and BHP, the sulfate ester of HPOP and 14C-labeled urea, all of which are excreted, and 14CO2 which is both incorporated in the urea cycle, and exhaled. The extent of metabolism and the ratios of these metabolites does not vary significantly with age or sex of the animal, however, marked species differences are evident in the metabolite composition of urine 6 h following administration of HPOP. Hamsters sulfate HPOP several times more rapidly, and reduce it to BHP more efficiently than rats. In contrast, the rat excretes more unchanged HPOP and its glucuronic acid conjugate than the hamster. Since sulfation and glucuronidation of HPOP may be involved in its activation and detoxication, these reactions were examined in detail in order to elucidate the reason(s) for their distinctively different contributions to its metabolism in rats and hamsters. Conjugation of HPOP with glucuronic acid and sulfate occurs in the livers of both rats and hamsters and is catalyzed by microsomal glucuronyl transferases and cytosolic sulfotransferases, respectively. The levels of glucuronyl transferase activity for conjugating phenolic compounds are comparable in the livers of two species; however, glucuronidation of HPOP is catalyzed by an isozyme the activity of which is three times greater in rat than in the hamster. In contrast to glucuronidation, sulfation of HPOP is catalyzed approximately 10 times faster by hamster than rat liver cytosol. Although rat liver can catalyze sulfation of phenolic compounds very effectively, it has low activity in sulfating aliphatic alcohols and beta-hydroxynitrosamines. Since both aliphatic alcohols and HPOP are sulfated by hamster liver cytosolic preparations and since these reactions are not significantly affected by the classic phenol sulfotransferase inhibitors, it appears that beta-hydroxynitrosamines may be sulfated by the aliphatic (hydroxysteroid) sulfotransferase isozymes. The failure of the rat to extensively sulfate HPOP in vivo may be attributed to the high Km of rat hydroxysteroid sulfotransferases for this compound. Of the four isomers of HPOP, only isomer A, in which the nitroso group is syn to the free keto group, is sulfated in vitro to an appreciable extent. The other three isomers either are not sulfated, or become unstable and decompose when they undergo such a reaction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Structural relationships of pancreatic nitrosamine carcinogens

N.m.r. spectroscopy demonstrates that N-nitroso(2-hydroxypropyl)(2-oxopropyl)amine (HPOP) exists as a mixture of four isomers, A, B, C and D, the equilibrium ratios of which are 57:8:16:19, respectively, at 25 degrees C. Two of these isomers, A and B, are rotomers of the open chain conformer, while the other two, C and D, are rotomers of the ring tautomer of HPOP and are derived from A and B, respectively, via an intramolecular cyclization reaction. A syn orientation of the nitroso and carbonyl groups favors an open chain configuration (isomer A), while an anti orientation favors cyclization of the molecule (isomer D). Two forms of HPOP (I and II) which are mixtures of isomers A and C, and D and B, respectively were separated chromatographically. These two forms interconvert to each other. The first rate order constants for the interconversion reactions were determined to be 4.7 X 10(-3) and 12.8 X 10(-3)/min, respectively. During these reactions isomers A and D interconvert via the intermediate formation of isomer C. This suggests that rotomerization of C and D is thermodynamically more favorable than rotomerization of their open-chain tautomers A and B, and suggests an intramolecular interaction between the carbonyl and nitroso groups. Isomers A and D are formed during the metabolism of N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP) and cis N-nitroso-2,6-dimethylmorpholine (NNDM), respectively, by hamster liver microsomes and NADH or NADPH. The stereo-specificity of reduction of BOP and the hydroxylation of cis NNDM results in the formation of two slowly interconvertible isomers of HPOP. This, in combination with a possible different metabolic fate of the cyclic and open tautomers of this compound, may have a significant impact on the mechanism of activation of pancreatropic nitrosamines which share HPOP as a common metabolite.

18O studies of the peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of N-methylcarbazole. Mechanisms of carbinolamine and carboxaldehyde formation

Chloroperoxidase, horseradish peroxidase, hemoglobin, myoglobin, lactoperoxidase, and microperoxidase catalyzed the ethyl hydroperoxide-dependent oxidation of N-methylcarbazole to N-(hydroxymethyl)carbazole and N-formylcarbazole as major products. Mass spectral analysis of the N-(hydroxymethyl)carbazole formed during the peroxidase-catalyzed N-demethylation of N-methylcarbazole in 18O-enriched medium indicated partial incorporation (7.5-25.9%) of solvent water oxygen into the carbinolamine intermediate in all systems investigated, suggesting that the peroxidase active site is partially accessible to solvent water during N-demethylation. In contrast, solvent water oxygen was not incorporated into the N-formylcarbazole formed during the peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of N-methylcarbazole. N-(Hydroxymethyl)carbazole was not further metabolized by the peroxidases in the presence of ethyl hydroperoxide, indicating that it is not an intermediate in N-formylcarbazole formation. The horseradish peroxidase-catalyzed formation of N-formylcarbazole was decreased by 77% when the hydroperoxide-supported reactions were carried out in a nitrogen atmosphere, while the formation of N-(hydroxymethyl)carbazole was decreased by 46%. When the horseradish peroxidase-catalyzed reactions were carried out in a 18O2 atmosphere, 18O incorporation into N-(hydroxymethyl)carbazole was 64.4% of the total oxygen, while 81.8% of the oxygen incorporated into N-formylcarbazole came from 18O2. These results suggest that there are two different mechanisms for the formation of N-(hydroxymethyl)carbazole, both involving the initial oxidation of N-methylcarbazole to a neutral carbon-centered radical. The radical can be further oxidized in the enzyme active site to an iminium cation, which reacts with water derived from either the oxidant or the medium to form the carbinolamine. Alternatively, the substrate radical can react with molecular oxygen to form a hydroperoxy radical, which decomposes to form the carboxaldehyde and carbinolamine.

Photochemical linking of primary aromatic amines to carrier proteins to elicit antibody response against the amine haptens

Two chemical methods, diazocoupling and reaction with isocyanates, are commonly used to conjugate primary aromatic amines with carrier proteins in order to elicit antibody responses against the aromatic amine haptenic group. Limitations of these conjugation techniques include the requirement for specific functional groups on the carrier protein which generally limits the degree of haptenic substitution obtainable, the many possible side reactions yielding hapten-hapten and carrier-carrier conjugates which waste valuable materials and lower desired hapten-carrier conjugate yields, and, in some cases, conjugation conditions which may denature the carrier protein (e.g., alkaline coupling conditions). We report here a photolabeling approach for conjugating primary aromatic amines to carrier proteins which avoids some of the problems of other conjugation methods and which was used to elicit antibodies against the primary aromatic amine hapten. The method described here is of general application for coupling primary aromatic amines to the carrier proteins and circumvents many of the problems inherent in the isocyanate or diazocoupling methods. 3-Azido-N-ethylcarbazole (ANEC), the azido analog of 3-amino-N-ethylcarbazole, was conjugated to bovine serum albumin (BSA), human transferrin (TR), thyroglobulin (TH), poly-(lysine X tyrosine), and poly-(lysine X phenylalanine) using standard photolabeling procedures. After photolysis, the conjugated proteins or polypeptides were separated from the unbound products of ANEC photolysis on a Sephadex G-10 column. The conjugated proteins were extracted with isobutanol which demonstrated that approximately 20% of the ANEC was covalently coupled to the protein carriers and that the larger portion of the aromatic haptens was non-covalently and hydrophobically bound to the carriers. The ANEC-protein conjugates used for immunization demonstrated a total covalently and non-covalently bound ANEC epitope density of 90 per BSA, 107 per TR and 800 per TH molecule. Rabbits were immunized with the three conjugated proteins and the production of antibody specific for the 3-amino-N-ethylcarbazole hapten was demonstrated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and by inhibition studies using hapten-carrier conjugates of free hapten. The results demonstrate that antibodies against aromatic amine haptens may be raised by immunizing animals with hapten-carrier protein conjugates produced by photolabeling. Since the coupling conditions are very mild and the functional group requirements are so general (requiring only the presence of C-H, N-H, C = O, C = S, or S-H bonds) most carrier proteins should be suitable for use in this method.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Activation of N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine and N-nitroso(2-hydroxypropyl)-(2-oxopropyl)amine to mutagens for V79 cells by isolated hamster and rat pancreatic acinar cells

A pancreatic acinar cell-mediated mutagenicity assay was developed as an in vitro model system to study the metabolism of N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP) and N-nitroso(2-hydroxypropyl)(2-oxopropyl)amino (HPOP) into forms mutagenic for Chinese hamster V79 cells. Mutations at the hypoxanthine:guanine phosphoribosyltransferase locus and the Na/K ATPase locus were scored by resistance to 6-thioguanine and ouabain, respectively. The ability of both Syrian golden hamster and Fischer rat pancreatic acinar cells to convert BOP and HPOP to mutagens for V79 cells was investigated in order to examine the basis for species specificity. Acinar cells of both species were capable of activating BOP and HPOP to mutagens for V79 cells in a dose-dependent manner. In the 6-thioguanine resistance assay, rat acinar cells induced higher mutation frequencies than hamster acinar cells with both BOP and HPOP. In the ouabain resistance assay, both cell types induced equivalent levels of mutation with the respective nitrosamines. BOP was a considerably more potent mutagen than HPOP after activation by either cell type. This is consistent with the known in vivo specificity of BOP versus HPOP in the hamster pancreas and suggests that BOP may be activated to mutagenic metabolites by a pathway(s) independent from its enzymatic reduction to HPOP. The comparable abilities of rat and hamster acinar cells to convert BOP or HPOP to mutagenic forms imply that pancreatic metabolic activation alone cannot explain the difference in organotropism of BOP and HPOP in the two species.

Peroxidase-catalyzed N-demethylation reactions: deuterium solvent isotope effects

The effect of D2O on the kinetic parameters for the hydroperoxide-supported N-demethylation of N,N-dimethylaniline catalyzed by chloroperoxidase and horseradish peroxidase was investigated in order to assess the roles of exchangeable hydrogens in the demethylation reaction. The initial rate of the chloroperoxidase-catalyzed N-demethylation of N,N-dimethylaniline supported by ethyl hydroperoxide exhibited a pL optimum (where L denotes H or D) of 4.5 in both H2O and D2O. The solvent isotope effect on the initial rate of the chloroperoxidase-catalyzed demethylation reaction was independent of pL, suggesting that the solvent isotope effect is not due to a change in the pK of a rate-controlling ionization in D2O. The solvent isotope effect on the Vmax for the chloroperoxidase-catalyzed demethylation reaction was 3.66 +/- 0.62. In contrast, the solvent isotope effect on the Vmax for the horseradish peroxidase catalyzed demethylation reaction was approximately 1.5 with either ethyl hydroperoxide or hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant, indicating that the exchange of hydrogens in the enzyme and hydroperoxide for deuterium in D2O has little effect on the rate of the demethylation reaction. The solvent isotope effect on the Vmax/KM for ethyl hydroperoxide in the chloroperoxidase-catalyzed demethylation reaction was 8.82 +/- 1.57, indicating that the rate of chloroperoxidase compound I formation is substantially decreased in D2O. This isotope effect is suggested to arise from deuterium exchange of the hydroperoxide hydrogen and of active-site residues involved in compound I formation. A solvent isotope effect of 2.96 +/- 0.57 was observed on the Vmax/KM for N,N-dimethylaniline in the chloroperoxidase-catalyzed reaction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Major urinary metabolites in hamsters and rats treated with N-nitroso(2-hydroxypropyl)(2-oxopropyl)amine

Rats and hamsters were administered a single dose of N-[1-14C]nitroso(2-hydroxypropyl)(2-oxopropyl)amine (HPOP), and their urinary metabolites were examined at various time intervals. In both species, urinary excretion of radiolabeled metabolites reached a plateau at 6 h following injection. At this time, 35 and 28% of the total dose was found in the urine of rats and hamsters, respectively. Separation by liquid chromatography and subsequent characterization by nuclear magnetic resonance, gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy, and infrared showed that the major metabolites in rat urine were HPOP, N-nitrosobis(2-hydroxypropyl)amine (BHP), and their glucuronic acid conjugates. The conjugates accounted for 30 and 9%, while free HPOP and BHP accounted for 42 and 16% of the total metabolites, respectively. Hamster urine, on the other hand, contained free HPOP, BHP, their glucuronic acid conjugates, and a sulfate ester of HPOP not found in rat urine. Six h following administration of HPOP, hamster urine contained BHP, BHP glucuronide, HPOP, HPOP glucuronide, and HPOP sulfate ester at levels of 35, 9, 16, 9, and 14%, respectively. These data suggest that hamsters reduce HPOP to BHP more efficiently than rats, while rats are more effective in forming their glucuronic acid conjugates. Hamsters differ significantly from rats in their capacity to form and excrete the sulfate ester of HPOP.

Metabolism of N-nitroso-2,6-dimethylmorpholine by isozymes of rabbit liver microsomal cytochrome P-450

The cis isomer of N-nitroso-2,6-dimethylmorpholine (NNDM), a pancreatic carcinogen for the Syrian golden hamster, is metabolized by hamster liver microsomes to yield N-nitroso(2-hydroxypropyl)(2-oxopropyl)amine (HPOP) as the major product. Rabbit liver microsomes catalyze the metabolism of cis-NNDM to HPOP at a rate slower than that observed with hamster microsomes, but significantly faster than that obtained with rat microsomes. Pretreatment of rabbits with phenobarbital results in a 6-fold increase in the cis-NNDM hydroxylase activity of the rabbit microsomes to levels equal to that observed with the hamster; pretreatment of rabbits with other xenobiotics had no effect on the hydroxylation of cis-NNDM. The role of rabbit liver microsomal cytochrome P-450 in the metabolism of the cis isomer of NNDM was studied in the reconstituted system consisting of NADPH:cytochrome P-450 reductase, phospholipid, and cytochrome P-450. Cytochrome P-450LM2, which is induced by pretreatment with phenobarbital, exhibited the highest activity for the metabolism of cis-NNDM. The Vmax for the formation of HPOP was 1.78 nmol/min/nmol cytochrome P-450LM2, and the apparent Km was 360 microM. Cytochrome P-450LM3a also catalyzed the metabolism of NNDM to HPOP at a significant rate (0.25 nmol/min/nmol cytochrome P-450). Of the four other isozymes of cytochrome P-450 (forms 3b, 3c, 4, and 6) tested in the reconstituted system, only forms 3b and 3c exhibited measurable activities (approximately 0.04 nmol of HPOP formed/min/nmol cytochrome P-450). The addition of antibodies to isozyme 2 to microsomes from phenobarbital-treated rabbits resulted in approximately 95% inhibition of the metabolism of NNDM, while the addition of antibodies to LM3a inhibited NNDM metabolism by only 7%. In microsomes from untreated rabbits, inhibition by anti-LM2 and anti-LM3a antibodies was 50 and 64%, respectively. The addition of antibodies to isozyme 3a to microsomes isolated from ethanol-treated rabbits caused approximately 90% inhibition of the metabolism of NNDM. These data conclusively demonstrate that several forms of cytochrome P-450 can catalyze the metabolism of cis-NNDM and that isozymes 2 and 3a play important roles in the rabbit hepatic metabolism of NNDM to HPOP, the proximate carcinogenic metabolite.

Esophageal microsomal metabolism of N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine in the zinc-deficient rat

Epidemiological studies in China suggest that dietary zinc deficiency and environmental exposure to N-nitrosamine carcinogens, such as N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBA), are among the factors associated with an increased incidence of esophageal carcinoma in humans. NMBA belongs to a class of nitrosamines which require activation by the cytochrome P-450-dependent mixed-function oxidases in order to be mutagenic. Rats maintained on a zinc-deficient diet exhibited an increased incidence of NMBA-induced esophageal carcinoma when compared to rats on a control diet. The increased tumor formation was associated with an alteration of the microsomal metabolism of NMBA. Weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats were raised on egg protein diets containing 2.3 ppm zinc (low zinc) or 50 ppm zinc (control zinc). Analysis of tissues revealed a rapid decline in the levels of zinc in serum and esophagi of the animals fed the low-zinc diet. Gastric and hepatic zinc content did not differ significantly between the animals fed the low-zinc diet and the animals fed the control zinc diet, even after 6 weeks. Microsomes were prepared from esophageal mucosa, livers, and forestomachs from weanling animals fed these diets for 3 weeks. The rate of formation of benzaldehyde from NMBA by esophageal mucosal microsomes prepared from the rats fed the low-zinc diet was nearly 10-fold higher than that of the rats fed the control zinc diet [0.230 +/- 0.047 (S.E.) versus 0.024 +/- 0.008 nmol/min/mg microsomal protein; p less than 0.001]. The rate of benzaldehyde formation by hepatic microsomes was 0.062 +/- 0.005 nmol/min/mg microsomal protein in the rats fed the low-zinc diet and 0.042 +/- 0.002 nmol/min/mg microsomal protein in the rats fed the control zinc diet (p less than 0.01). The rate of benzaldehyde formation by forestomach microsomes was not detectable in tissue from rats on either diet. This increased rate of NMBA metabolism by esophageal mucosal microsomes from the zinc-deficient rats may explain the increased incidence of esophageal carcinoma in these animals.

pH kinetic studies of the N-demethylation of N,N-dimethylaniline catalyzed by chloroperoxidase

The effect of pH on the kinetic parameters for the chloroperoxidase-catalyzed N-demethylation of N,N-dimethylaniline supported by ethyl hydroperoxide was investigated from pH 3.0 to 7.0. Chloroperoxidase was found to be stable throughout the pH range studied. Initial rate conditions were determined throughout the pH range. The Vmax for the demethylation reaction exhibited a pH optimum at approximately 4.5. The Km for N,N-dimethylaniline increased with decreasing pH, while the Km for ethyl hydroperoxide varied in a manner paralleling Vmax. Comparison of the Vmax/Km values for N,N-dimethylaniline and ethyl hydroperoxide indicated that the interaction of N,N-dimethylaniline with chloroperoxidase compound I was rate-limiting below pH 4.5, while compound I formation was rate-limiting above pH 4.5. The log of the Vmax/Km for ethyl hydroperoxide was independent of pH, indicating that chloroperoxidase compound I formation is not affected by ionizations in this pH range. The plot of the log of the Vmax/Km for N,N-dimethylaniline versus pH indicated an ionization on compound I with a pK of approximately 6.8. The plot of the log of the Vmax versus pH indicated an ionization on the compound I-N,N-dimethylaniline complex, with a pK of approximately 3.1. The results show that chloroperoxidase can demethylate both the protonated and neutral forms of N,N-dimethylaniline (pK approximately 5.0), suggesting that hydrophobic binding of the arylamine substrate is more important in catalysis than ionic bonding of the amine moiety. For optimal catalysis, a residue in the chloroperoxidase compound I-N,N-dimethylaniline complex with a pK of approximately 3.1 must be deprotonated, while a residue in compound I with a pK of approximately 6.8 must be protonated.