The mechanism-based inactivation of p450 2B4 by tert-butyl 1-methyl-2-propynyl ether: structural determination of the adducts to the p450 heme

Acetylenes: cytochrome P450 oxidation and mechanism-based enzyme inactivation

The oxidation of carbon-carbon triple bonds by cytochrome P450 produces ketene metabolites that are hydrolyzed to acetic acid derivatives or are trapped by nucleophiles. In the special case of 17α-ethynyl sterols, D-ring expansion and de-ethynylation have been observed as competing pathways. The oxidation of acetylenic groups is also associated with mechanism-based inactivation of cytochrome P450 enzymes. One mechanism for this inactivation is reaction of the ketene metabolite with cytochrome P450 residues essential for substrate binding or catalysis. However, in the case of monosubstituted acetylenes, inactivation can also occur by addition of the oxidized acetylenic function to a nitrogen of the heme prosthetic group. This addition reaction is not mediated by the ketene metabolite, but rather occurs during oxygen transfer to the triple bond. In some instances, a detectable intermediate is formed that is most consistent with a ketocarbene-iron heme complex. This complex can progress to the N-alkylated heme or revert back to the unmodified enzyme. The ketocarbene complex may intervene in the formation of all the N-alkyl heme adducts, but is normally too unstable to be detected.

Identification of Ketene-Reactive Intermediate of Erlotinib Possibly Responsible for Inactivation of P450 Enzymes

Erlotinib (ELT), a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is widely used for the treatment of nonsmall cell lung cancer in clinic. Unfortunately, severe drug-induced liver injury and other adverse effects occurred during the treatment. Meanwhile, ELT has been reported to be a mechanism-based inactivator of cytochrome P450(CYPs) 3A4 and 3A5. The objectives of this study were to identify ketene intermediate of ELT and investigate the association of the acetylenic bioactivation with the enzyme inactivation caused by ELT. A ketene intermediate was detected in human microsomal incubations of ELT, using 4-bromobenzylamine as a trapping agent. CYPs 3A4 and 3A5 mainly contributed to the bioactivation of ELT. Microsomal incubation study showed that the ketene intermediate covalently modified the enzyme protein at lysine residues and destroyed the structure of heme. The vinyl and ethyl analogs of ELT showed minor enzyme inhibitory effect (less than 20%), whereas ELT inactivated more than 60% of the enzyme. The present study provided a novel bioactivation pathway of ELT and facilitated the understanding of the mechanisms of ELT-induced mechanism-based enzyme inactivation and liver injury.

Metabolism of Anandamide by Human Cytochrome P450 2J2 in the Reconstituted System and Human Intestinal Microsomes

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the incidence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is about 1 in 250 people in the United States. The disease is characterized by chronic or recurring inflammation of the gut. Because of the localization of the endocannabinoid system in the gastrointestinal tract, it may be a potential pharmacologic target for the treatment of IBD and other diseases. Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) is a potential candidate because it is upregulated in IBD. FAAH hydrolyzes and, as a consequence, inactivates anandamide (AEA), a prominent endocannabinoid. Inhibition of FAAH would lead to increases in the amount of AEA oxidized by cytochrome P450s (P450s). CYP2J2, the major P450 epoxygenase expressed in the heart, is also expressed in the intestine and has previously been reported to oxidize AEA. We have investigated the possibility that it may play a role in AEA metabolism in the gut and have demonstrated that purified human CYP2J2 metabolizes AEA to form the 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid ethanolamide (HETE-EA) and several epoxygenated products, including the 5,6-, 8,9-, 11,12-, and 14,15-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid ethanolamides (EET-EAs), in the reconstituted system. Kinetic studies suggest that the KM values for these products range from approximately 10 to 468 μM and the kcat values from 0.2 to 23.3 pmol/min per picomole of P450. Human intestinal microsomes, which express CYP2J2, metabolize AEA to give the 5,6-, 8,9-, and 11,12-EET-EAs, as well as 20-HETE-EA. Studies using specific P450 inhibitors suggest that although CYP2J2 metabolizes AEA, it is not the primary P450 responsible for AEA metabolism in human intestines.

CYP2A6- and CYP2A13-catalyzed metabolism of the nicotine Δ5'(1')iminium ion

Nicotine, the major addictive agent in tobacco, is metabolized primarily by CYP2A6-catalyzed oxidation. The product of this reaction, 5'-hydroxynicotine, is in equilibrium with the nicotine Δ5'(1')iminium ion and is further metabolized to cotinine. We reported previously that both CYP2A6 and the closely related extrahepatic enzyme CYP2A13 were inactivated during nicotine metabolism; however, inactivation occurred after metabolism was complete. This led to the hypothesis that oxidation of a nicotine metabolite, possibly the nicotine Δ5'(1')iminium ion, was responsible for generating the inactivating species. In the studies presented here, we confirm that the nicotine Δ5'(1')iminium ion is an inactivator of both CYP2A6 and CYP2A13, and inactivation depends on time, concentration, and the presence of NADPH. Inactivation was not reversible and was accompanied by a parallel loss in spectrally active protein, as measured by reduced CO spectra. These data are consistent with the characterization of the nicotine Δ5'(1')iminium ion as a mechanism-based inactivator of both CYP2A13 and CYP2A6. We also confirm that both CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 catalyze the metabolism of the nicotine Δ5'(1')iminium ion to cotinine and provide evidence that both enzymes catalyze the sequential metabolism of the nicotine Δ5'(1')iminium ion. That is, a fraction of the cotinine formed may not be released from the enzyme before further oxidation to 3'-hydroxycotinine.

Inhibition and inactivation of cytochrome P450 2A6 and cytochrome P450 2A13 by menthofuran, β-nicotyrine and menthol

Nicotine is the primary addictive agent in tobacco products and is metabolized in humans by CYP2A6. Decreased CYP2A6 activity has been associated with decreased smoking. The extrahepatic enzyme, CYP2A13 (94% identical to CYP2A6) also catalyzes the metabolism of nicotine, but is most noted for its role in the metabolic activation of the tobacco specific lung carcinogen, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). In this study, the inhibition and potential inactivation of CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 by two tobacco constituents, 1-methyl-4-(3-pyridinyl) pyrrole (β-nicotyrine) and (-)-menthol were characterized and compared to the potent mechanism based inactivator of CYP2A6, menthofuran. The effect of these compounds on CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 activity was significantly different. (-)-Menthol was a more efficient inhibitor of CYP2A13 than of CYP2A6 (KI, 8.2 μM and 110 μM, respectively). β-Nicotyrine was a potent inhibitor of CYP2A13 (KI, 0.17 μM). Neither menthol nor β-nicotyrine was an inactivator of CYP2A13. Whereas, β-nicotyrine was a mechanism based inactivator of CYP2A6 (KI(inact), 106 μM, kinact was 0.61 min(-1)). Similarly, menthofuran, a potent mechanism based inactivator of CYP2A6 did not inactivate CYP2A13. Menthofuran was an inhibitor of CYPA13 (KI, 1.24 μM). The inactivation of CYP2A6 by either β-nicotyrine or menthofuran was not due to modification of the heme and was likely due to modification of the apo-protein. These studies suggest that β-nicotyrine, but not menthol may influence nicotine and NNK metabolism in smokers.

Mechanism-based inactivation of CYP2B1 and its F-helix mutant by two tert-butyl acetylenic compounds: covalent modification of prosthetic heme versus apoprotein

The mechanism-based inactivation of cytochrome CYP2B1 [wild type (WT)] and its Thr205 to Ala mutant (T205A) by tert-butylphenylacetylene (BPA) and tert-butyl 1-methyl-2-propynyl ether (BMP) in the reconstituted system was investigated. The inactivation of WT by BPA exhibited a k(inact)/K(I) value of 1343 min(-1)mM(-1) and a partition ratio of 1. The inactivation of WT by BMP exhibited a k(inact)/K(I) value of 33 min(-1)mM(-1) and a partition ratio of 10. Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry analysis (LC/MS/MS) of the WT revealed 1) inactivation by BPA resulted in the formation of a protein adduct with a mass increase equivalent to the mass of BPA plus one oxygen atom, and 2) inactivation by BMP resulted in the formation of multiple heme adducts that all exhibited a mass increase equivalent to BMP plus one oxygen atom. LC/MS/MS analysis indicated the formation of glutathione (GSH) conjugates by the reaction of GSH with the ethynyl moiety of BMP or BPA with the oxygen being added to the internal or terminal carbon. For the inactivation of T205A by BPA and BMP, the k(inact)/K(I) values were suppressed by 100- and 4-fold, respectively, and the partition ratios were increased 9- and 3.5-fold, respectively. Only one major heme adduct was detected following the inactivation of the T205A by BMP. These results show that the Thr205 in the F-helix plays an important role in the efficiency of the mechanism-based inactivation of CYP2B1 by BPA and BMP. Homology modeling and substrate docking studies were presented to facilitate the interpretation of the experimental results.

The formation and biological significance of N7-guanine adducts

DNA alkylation or adduct formation occurs at nucleophilic sites in DNA, mainly the N7-position of guanine. Ever since identification of the first N7-guanine adduct, several hundred studies on DNA adducts have been reported. Major issues addressed include the relationships between N7-guanine adducts and exposure, mutagenesis, and other biological endpoints. It became quickly apparent that N7-guanine adducts are frequently formed, but may have minimal biological relevance, since they are chemically unstable and do not participate in Watson Crick base pairing. However, N7-guanine adducts have been shown to be excellent biomarkers for internal exposure to direct acting and metabolically activated carcinogens. Questions arise, however, regarding the biological significance of N7-guanine adducts that are readily formed, do not persist, and are not likely to be mutagenic. Thus, we set out to review the current literature to evaluate their formation and the mechanistic evidence for the involvement of N7-guanine adducts in mutagenesis or other biological processes. It was concluded that there is insufficient evidence that N7-guanine adducts can be used beyond confirmation of exposure to the target tissue and demonstration of the molecular dose. There is little to no evidence that N7-guanine adducts or their depurination product, apurinic sites, are the cause of mutations in cells and tissues, since increases in AP sites have not been shown unless toxicity is extant. However, more research is needed to define the extent of chemical depurination versus removal by DNA repair proteins. Interestingly, N7-guanine adducts are clearly present as endogenous background adducts and the endogenous background amounts appear to increase with age. Furthermore, the N7-guanine adducts have been shown to convert to ring opened lesions (FAPy), which are much more persistent and have higher mutagenic potency. Studies in humans are limited in sample size and differences between controls and study groups are small. Future investigations should involve human studies with larger numbers of individuals and analysis should include the corresponding ring opened FAPy derivatives.

Mechanism-based inactivation of human cytochromes p450s: experimental characterization, reactive intermediates, and clinical implications

The P450 type cytochromes are responsible for the metabolism of a wide variety of xenobiotics and endogenous compounds. Although P450-catalyzed reactions are generally thought to lead to detoxication of xenobiotics, the reactions can also produce reactive intermediates that can react with cellular macromolecules leading to toxicity or that can react with the P450s that form them leading to irreversible (i.e., mechanism-based) inactivation. This perspective describes the fundamentals of mechanism-based inactivation as it pertains to P450 enzymes. The experimental approaches used to characterize mechanism-based inactivators are discussed, and the criteria required for a compound to be classified as a mechanism-based inactivator are outlined. The kinetic scheme for mechanism-based inactivation and the calculation of the relevant kinetic constants that describe a particular inactivation event are presented. The structural aspects and important functional groups of several classes of molecules that have been found to impart mechanism-based inactivation upon metabolism by P450s such as acetylenes, thiol-containing compounds that include isothiocyanates, thiazolidinediones, and thiophenes, arylamines, quinones, furanocoumarins, and cyclic tertiary amines are described. Emphasis throughout this perspective is placed on more recent findings with human P450s where the site of modification, whether it be the apoprotein or the heme moiety, and, at least in part, the identity of the reactive intermediate responsible for the loss in P450 activity are known or inferred. Recent advances in trapping procedures as well as new methods for identification of reactive intermediates are presented. A variety of clinically important drugs that act as mechanism-based inactivators of P450s are discussed. The irreversible inactivation of human P450s by these drugs has the potential for causing serious drug-drug interactions that may have severe toxicological effects. The clinical significance of inactivating human P450s for improving drug efficacy as well as drug safety is discussed along with the potential for exploiting mechanism-based inactivators of P450s for therapeutic benefits.

Identification of covalent modifications in P450 2E1 by 1,2-epoxy-3-butene in vitro

1,3-Butadiene is metabolized mainly by cytochrome P450 2E1 to several epoxides that are considered toxic and carcinogenic. The first step of BD metabolism is oxidation to 1,2-epoxy-3-butene (EB), a reactive metabolite. It has been shown that P450s can be inactivated by covalent binding of reactive metabolites to protein or heme. Molecular dosimetry studies have clearly shown that BD metabolism follows a supralinear dose response, suggestive of saturation of metabolic activation. In this study, potential binding sites of EB in human P450 2E1 were identified and modeled to test whether EB covalently binds to residues important for enzyme activity. Commercially available human P450 2E1 was reacted with EB, digested with trypsin and the resulting peptides were analyzed by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization tandem Time-of-Flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). The identity of EB modified peptides was confirmed by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS/MS) sequencing. It was shown that EB binds to four histidine and two tyrosine residues. All modification sites were assigned by at least two adjacent and a minimum of eight peptide specific fragments. Protein modeling revealed that two of these covalent modifications (His(109), His(370)) are clearly associated with the active site, and that their Calpha atoms are located less than 9A from a known inhibitor binding site. In addition, the side chain of His(370) is within 4A of the heme group and its modification is expected to influence the orientation of the heme. The Calpha atom of Tyr(71) is within 14A of the potential inhibitor binding site and within 7A of the flap undergoing conformational change upon ligand binding, potentially placing Tyr(71) near the substrate as it enters and leaves the active site. The data support the hypothesis that EB can inactivate P450 2E1 by covalent modifications and thus add an additional regulatory mechanism for BD metabolism.

Structure-function analysis of cytochromes P450 2B

In the last 4 years, breakthroughs were made in the field of P450 2B (CYP2B) structure-function through determination of one ligand-free and two inhibitor-bound X-ray crystal structures of CYP2B4, which revealed many of the structural features required for binding ligands of different size and shape. Large conformational changes of several plastic regions of CYP2B4 can dramatically reshape the active site of the enzyme to fit the size and shape of the bound ligand without perturbing the overall P450 fold. Solution biophysical studies using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) have revealed the large difference in the thermodynamic parameters of CYP2B4 in binding inhibitors of different ring chemistry and side chains. Other studies have revealed that the effects of site-specific mutations on steady-state kinetic parameters and mechanism-based inactivation are often substrate dependent. These findings agree with the structural data that the enzymes adopt different conformations to bind various ligands. Thus, the substrate specificity of an individual enzyme is determined not only by active site residues but also non-active site residues that modulate conformational changes that are important for substrate access and rearrangement of the active site to accommodate the bound substrate.

MECHANISM-BASED INACTIVATION AND REVERSIBILITY: IS THERE A NEW TREND IN THE INACTIVATION OF CYTOCHROME P450 ENZYMES?

Recent studies with cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes from the 2E and 2B subfamilies have shed light on what may be a new trend in the mechanism-based inactivation of P450s: reversibility. The reversible inactivation of P450-type enzymes was first reported in the mid-1990s by Dexter and Hager [Dexter AF and Hager LP (1995) J Am Chem Soc 117:817-818], who studied the transient heme N-alkylation of chloroperoxidase by allylbenzene and 1-hexyne. While characterizing small tert-butyl acetylenes as mechanism-based inactivators of P450s 2E1 and 2B4, Hollenberg and coworkers observed the reversible inactivation of an acetylene-inactivated T303A mutant of P450 2E1. The mechanism of reversibility was a combined product of the structure of the inactivator and the positioning of conserved amino acid residues, threonine 303 (alanine in the mutant) and glutamate 302, in the enzyme active site. Reversibility was also observed with both wild-type P450 2B4 and the T302A mutant of 2B4, although this inactivation and reversibility did not seem to depend on the T302 residue. Subsequent studies have attempted to elucidate the chemical/structural requirements of the inactivator in determining reversibility and have shown that both the size and the chemical nature of functional groups play an important role. At this time, reversibility has only been observed with P450 2E and 2B enzymes during their mechanism-based inactivation by terminal alkynes. Future studies with P450s from other subfamilies and structurally distinct inactivators will greatly aid our understanding of the molecular and chemical determinants of reversibility.

Inactivation of CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 during nicotine metabolism

Nicotine is the major addictive agent in tobacco. The primary catalyst of nicotine metabolism in humans is CYP2A6. However, the closely related enzyme CYP2A13 is a somewhat better catalyst. CYP2A13 is an extrahepatic enzyme that is an excellent catalyst of the metabolic activation of the tobacco-specific carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamine)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). Here we report that both CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 were inactivated during nicotine metabolism. Inactivation of both enzymes was dependent on NADPH and increased with time and concentration. Alternate substrates for CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 protected these enzymes from inactivation. Inactivation of CYP2A13 was irreversible upon extensive dialysis and seems to be mechanism-based. The K(I) of CYP2A13 inactivation by nicotine was 17 microM, the rate of inactivation, k(inact), was 0.1 min(-1), and the t(1/2) was 7 min. However, the loss in enzyme activity occurred after nicotine metabolism was complete, suggesting that a secondary or possible tertiary metabolite of nicotine may be responsible. [5-(3)H]Nicotine metabolism by CYP2A13 was monitored by radioflow high-pressure liquid chromatography during the course of enzyme inactivation; the major product was the Delta(1'(5'))iminium ion. However, cotinine was a significant metabolite even at short reaction times. The metabolism of the nicotine Delta(1'(5'))iminium ion to cotinine did not require the addition of aldehyde oxidase. CYP2A13 catalyzed this reaction as well as further metabolism of cotinine to 5'-hydroxycotinine, trans-3'-hydroxycotinine, and N-(hydroxymethyl)-norcotinine as enzyme inactivation occurred. Studies are on-going to identify the metabolite responsible for nicotine-mediated inactivation of CYP2A13.

P450 Active Site Architecture and Reversibility: Inactivation of Cytochromes P450 2B4 and 2B4 T302A by tert-Butyl Acetylenes

The inactivations of P450 2B4 and the T302A mutant of 2B4 by tert-butyl acetylene (tBA) and the inactivation of 2B4 T302A by tert-butyl 1-methyl-2-propynyl ether (tBMP) have been investigated. tBA and tBMP inactivated both enzymes in a mechanism-based manner with the losses in enzymatic activity corresponding closely to losses in P450 heme. HPLC and ESI-LC-MS analysis detected two different tBA- or tBMP-modified heme products with masses of 661 and 705 Da, respectively. Interestingly, the inactivations of the P450s 2B4 by tBA and tBMP were partially reversible by dialysis, and the tBA- or tBMP-modified heme products could only be observed with ESI-LC-MS/MS when the inactivated samples were acidified prior to analysis, indicating a requirement for protons in the formation of stable heme adducts in both the wild-type and mutant 2B4 enzymes. Results of studies using artificial oxidants to support enzyme inactivation suggest that the oxenoid-iron activated oxygen species is preferentially utilized during the inactivation of the P450s 2B4 by tBA. These results argue against the use of a peroxo-iron species by P450 2B4 T302A. Molecular dynamics studies of wild-type P450 2B4 reveal that contiguous hydrogen bond networks, including structural waters, link a conserved glutamate (E301) to the distal oxygen of the peroxo-heme species via threonine 302. Interestingly, models of 2B4 T302A reveal that a compensatory, ordered hydrogen bond network forms despite the removal of T302. These results indicate that while T302 may play a role in proton delivery in the formation of the oxenoid-iron complex and in the stabilization of acetylene heme adducts in 2B4, it is not essential for proton delivery given the presence of E301 in the binding site.

Kinetic and stability studies on the chloroperoxidase complexes in presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide

The inactivation of native chloroperoxidase (CPO) from Caldariomyces fumago in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tert-BuOOH) was investigated. A kinetic analysis was made and the inactivation constants (V(3) and K(3)) were evaluated. In prolonged times, uni-exponential equation describes the enzyme time course inactivation. A method based on the rate of inactivation of the enzyme in the presence of the inactivating molecule tert-BuOOH was also performed. A second group of inactivation constants (j(3) and K) was obtained, which is sufficiently close to the first two, thus verifying that the decreasing of enzyme absorbance corresponds to the decay of activity.

Identification of amino acid residues involved in the inactivation of cytochrome P450 2B1 by two acetylenic compounds: the role of three residues in nonsubstrate recognition Sites

The homologous rat cytochrome P450s 2B1 and 2B2 differ by 13 amino acids. A chimeric construct of P450 2B1/2B2 was used in conjunction with several site-directed mutants to identify key residues involved in the inactivation of P450 2B1 by two acetylenic compounds, 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (17EE) and tert-butyl 1-methyl-2-propynyl ether (tBMP). 17EE is a mechanism-based inactivator of P450 2B1 but not of P450 2B2. We show here that tBMP is also a mechanism-based inactivator of P450 2B1 and not P450 2B2. Minimal loss in 7-ethoxy-4-(trifluoromethyl)coumarin (7-EFC) activity was observed when P450 2B1 G478A was incubated with either inactivator, suggesting that this residue plays a role in the inactivation. However, P450 2B2 A478G behaved like wild-type P450 2B2, indicating that this residue alone is not sufficient for inactivation. A chimeric construct of P450 2B1/2B2 that is essentially P450 2B1 with five residues of P450 2B2 (including residue 478), was not inactivated by either tBMP or 17EE, suggesting that these five residues are important for inactivation. Sequential mutagenesis of the chimeric construct to quadruple (S407T-N417D-A419T-G478A) and triple (S407T-N417D-A419T) mutants of P450 2B1 did not result in inactivation by either inactivator. However, the triple mutant with mutations only in non-substrate recognition site (SRS) regions still exhibits wild-type P450 2B1 7-EFC O-deethylation activity with a K(m) value of 25 microM and V(max) of 8 nmol/min/nmol P450. These results demonstrate that substitution of three non-SRS residues in P450 2B1 leads to protection against inactivation of 2B enzymes by these two acetylenic compounds.