Immunochemical features in the classification of human alcohol dehydrogenase family

A novel four-gene signature for predicting the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

To identify and utilize gene signatures for the prognostic evaluation of postoperative patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS

The gene mRNA expression profiles and corresponding clinicopathological data of postoperative patients with HCC were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Highly differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in tumor tissues compared to adjacent tissues were identified, and their associations with the overall survival (OS) of HCC patients were analyzed. The strongly associated genes were used to develop a prognostic score for the survival stratification of HCC, and the underlying mechanisms were analyzed using bioinformatics.

RESULTS

A total of 376 DEGs were identified and four DEGs (ADH4, COL15A1, RET and KCNJ16) were independently associated with OS. A prognostic score derived from the four genes could effectively stratify HCC patients with different OS outcomes, independent of clinical parameters. Patients with high scores exhibited poorer OS than patients with low scores (HR 5.526, 95% CI: 2.451-12.461, p < .001). The four genes were involved in cancer-related biological processes and were independent of each other in bioinformatics analyses.

CONCLUSION

Four genes strongly associated with the prognosis of postoperative patients with HCC were identified, and the derived prognostic score was simple and valuable for overall survival prediction.

Xenobiotic transport and metabolism in the human brain

Organisms have metabolic pathways responsible for eliminating endogenous and exogenous toxicants. Generally, we associate the liver par excellence as the organ in charge of detoxifying the body; however, this process occurs in all tissues, including the brain. Due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB), the Central Nervous System (CNS) is considered a partially isolated organ, but similar to other organs, the CNS possess xenobiotic transporters and metabolic pathways associated with the elimination of xenobiotic agents. In this review, we describe the different systems related to the detoxification of xenobiotics in the CNS, providing examples in which their association with neurodegenerative processes is suspected. The CNS detoxifying systems include carrier-mediated, active efflux and receptor-mediated transport, and detoxifying systems that include phase I and phase II enzymes, as well as those enzymes in charge of neutralizing compounds such as electrophilic agents, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and free radicals, which are products of the bioactivation of xenobiotics. Moreover, we discuss the differential expression of these systems in different regions of the CNS, showing the different detoxifying needs and the composition of each region in terms of the cell type, neurotransmitter content, and the accumulation of xenobiotics and/or reactive compounds.

Disulfiram suppressed ethanol promoted RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis in vitro and ethanol-induced osteoporosis in vivo via ALDH1A1-NFATc1 axis

Excessive alcohol consumption is positively related to osteoporosis, and its treatment strategies are poorly developed. Disulfiram inhibits receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis; however, whether it can be used for ethanol-induced osteoclastogenesis and its underlying mechanism are still unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that ethanol promoted RANKL-induced osteoclast formation and bone resorption, whereas, disulfiram suppressed ethanol-induced osteoclastogenesis by abrogating the expression of nuclear factor of activated T cell c1 (NFATc1) in vitro. Further analysis revealed that aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 (ALDH1A1) is important for the expression of NFATc1, the master regulator of osteoclast differentiation. Furthermore, we showed that disulfiram protected ethanol-induced osteoporosis in vivo. Overall, our study provides promising evidence that disulfiram can be used as a treatment strategy for alcohol-related osteoporosis via the ALDH1A1T–NFATc1 axis.

Modeling of Human Hepatic and Gastrointestinal Ethanol Metabolism with Kinetic-Mechanism-Based Full-Rate Equations of the Component Alcohol Dehydrogenase Isozymes and Allozymes

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is the principal enzyme responsible for the metabolism of ethanol. Human ADH constitutes a complex family of isozymes and allozymes with striking variation in kinetic properties and tissue distribution. The liver and the gastrointestinal tract are the major sites for first-pass metabolism (FPM). The quantitative contributions of ADH isozymes and ethnically distinct allozymes to cellular ethanol metabolism remain poorly understood. To address this issue, kinetic mechanism and the steady-state full-rate equations for recombinant human class I ADH1A, ADH1B (including allozymes ADH1B1, ADH1B2, and ADH1B3), ADH1C (including allozymes ADH1C1 and ADH1C2), class II ADH2, and class IV ADH4 were determined by initial velocity, product inhibition, and dead-end inhibition experiments in 0.1 M sodium phosphate at pH 7.5 and 25 °C. Models of the hepatic and gastrointestinal metabolisms of ethanol were constructed by linear combination of the numerical full-rate equations of the component isozymes and allozymes in target organs. The organ simulations indicate that in homozygous ADH1B*1/*1 livers, a representative genotype among ethnically distinct populations due to high prevalence of the allele, major contributors at 1 to 10 mM ethanol are ADH1B1 (45% to 24%) and the ADH1C allozymes (54% to 40%). The simulated activities at 1 to 50 mM ethanol for the gastrointestinal tract (total mucosae of ADH1C*1/*1-ADH4 stomach and the ADH1C*1/*1-ADH2 duodenum and jejunum) account for 0.68%-0.76% of that for the ADH1B*1/*1-ADH1C*1/*1 liver, suggesting gastrointestinal tract plays a relatively minor role in the human FPM of ethanol. Based on the flow-limited sinusoidal perfusion model, the simulated hepatic K_m^app, V_max^app, and C_i at a 95% clearance of ethanol for ADH1B*1/*1-ADH1C*1/*1 livers are compatible to that documented in hepatic vein catheterization and pharmacokinetic studies with humans that controlled for the genotypes. The model simulations suggest that slightly higher or similar ethanol elimination rates for ADH1B*2/*2 and ADH1B*3/*3 individuals compared with those for ADH1B*1/*1 individuals may result from higher hepatocellular acetaldehyde.

Ethanol oxidation and the inhibition by drugs in human liver, stomach and small intestine: Quantitative assessment with numerical organ modeling of alcohol dehydrogenase isozymes

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is the principal enzyme responsible for metabolism of ethanol. Human ADH constitutes a complex isozyme family with striking variations in kinetic function and tissue distribution. Liver and gastrointestinal tract are the major sites for first-pass metabolism (FPM). Their relative contributions to alcohol FPM and degrees of the inhibitions by aspirin and its metabolite salicylate, acetaminophen and cimetidine remain controversial. To address this issue, mathematical organ modeling of ethanol-oxidizing activities in target tissues and that of the ethanol-drug interactions were constructed by linear combination of the corresponding numerical rate equations of tissue constituent ADH isozymes with the documented isozyme protein contents, kinetic parameters for ethanol oxidation and the drug inhibitions of ADH isozymes/allozymes that were determined in 0.1 M sodium phosphate at pH 7.5 and 25 °C containing 0.5 mM NAD(+). The organ simulations reveal that the ADH activities in mucosae of the stomach, duodenum and jejunum with ADH1C*1/*1 genotype are less than 1%, respectively, that of the ADH1B*1/*1-ADH1C*1/*1 liver at 1-200 mM ethanol, indicating that liver is major site of the FPM. The apparent hepatic KM and Vmax for ethanol oxidation are simulated to be 0.093 ± 0.019 mM and 4.0 ± 0.1 mmol/min, respectively. At 95% clearance in liver, the logarithmic average sinusoidal ethanol concentration is determined to be 0.80 mM in accordance with the flow-limited gradient perfusion model. The organ simulations indicate that higher therapeutic acetaminophen (0.5 mM) inhibits 16% of ADH1B*1/*1 hepatic ADH activity at 2-20 mM ethanol and that therapeutic salicylate (1.5 mM) inhibits 30-31% of the ADH1B*2/*2 activity, suggesting potential significant inhibitions of ethanol FPM in these allelotypes. The result provides systematic evaluations and predictions by computer simulation on potential ethanol FPM in target tissues and hepatic ethanol-drug interactions in the context of tissue ADH isozymes.

Ethanol-metabolizing activities and isozyme protein contents of alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases in human liver: phenotypic traits of the ADH1B*2 and ALDH2*2 variant gene alleles

OBJECTIVE

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) are principal enzymes responsible for the metabolism of ethanol. East Asian populations are unique in that they carry both a prevalent ADH1B*2 and a dominant-negative ALDH2*2 allele. A systematic investigation of ethanol-metabolizing activities in normal livers correlated with the corresponding functional allelic variations and protein contents of the relevant isozymes in respective enzyme families has been lacking.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To obtain a reasonable sample size encompassing all possible genetic allelotypes of the ADH1B and ALDH2, 141 surgical liver specimens from adult Han Chinese were studied. Expression patterns and activities of ADH and ALDH were determined with stratification of the genetic phenotypes. Absolute protein contents as well as cellular localization of the activity and protein of ADH/ALDH isozymes were also investigated.

RESULTS

The activities of ADH1B*1/*2 and ADH1B*2/*2 allelic phenotypes were 5-6-fold those of the ADH1B*1/*1, suggesting that ADH1B*2 allele-encoded subunits are dominant over expression of hepatic ADH activity. The activities of the ALDH2-active phenotype were 90% higher than those of the ALDH2-inactive phenotype. Sex and age did not significantly influence the hepatic ADH and ALDH activities with specified genetic phenotypes. The isozyme protein contents were as follows in decreasing order: ADH1, ADH2, ALDH1A1, ALDH2, and ADH3. Both ADH1, but not ADH2/3, and ALDH1A1/2 showed a preferential expression in perivenular hepatocytes.

CONCLUSION

Functional correlations of ADH1B*2 and ALDH2*2 variant alleles in the liver provide a biochemical genetic basis suggesting their contribution toward variability in ethanol metabolism as well as susceptibility to alcoholism and alcohol-related diseases in East Asians.

Impact of alcohol dehydrogenase gene 4 polymorphisms on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma risk in a Chinese population

Background

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is very common in China and is also one of the most common cancers worldwide. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between genetic variants of various cancer-related genes and the risk of ESCC.

Methods

In this study, we first examined the association between 18 potentially disruptive genetic variants of 17 genes, including alcohol dehydrogenase 4 (ADH4) and checkpoint kinase 2 (CHEK2), and ESCC risk in a Hangzhou population of 617 patients matched with 534 controls. Among the 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), two were validated in a Jinan population of 540 patients matched with 550 controls.

Results

Sixteen SNPs in 15 genes, including CHEK2, did not have significantly different allele frequency distributions between ESCC patients and control subjects. A significantly increased risk of developing ESCC was revealed in subjects with the AA genotype of rs3805322 (ADH4) compared with those with the AG or GG genotype by unconditional univariate logistic regression analysis. Using a dominant model, the CC genotype of rs4822983 (CHEK2) had a marginally significant protective effect compared to the CT and TT genotypes. The association of ESCC risk with these two SNPs (rs3805322 and rs4822983) was further validated in a Jinan case-control set. Individuals with the ADH4 rs3805322 AA or AG genotype had ORs of 1.10 (95% CI = 0.81–1.49, P < 0.001) or 1.86 (95% CI = 1.33–2.59, P = 0.559), respectively, for developing ESCC compared with individuals with the GG genotype. CHEK2 rs4822983 CC carriers showed a marginally significantly decreased ESCC risk compared with those carrying the CT and TT genotypes in the validation set (95% CI = 0.61–1.01, P = 0.064). However, no evidence of interaction existed between the two SNPs and smoking or drinking in the Jinan case-control set.

Conclusions

In conclusion, this current study provides substantial evidence that genetic polymorphisms of rs3805322 in the ADH4 gene may be associated with an increased risk of developing ESCC in two Chinese Han populations. Future studies to address the biological function of this polymorphism in the development of ESCC are warranted.

Inhibition of human alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases by aspirin and salicylate: assessment of the effects on first-pass metabolism of ethanol

Previous studies have reported that aspirin significantly reduced the first-pass metabolism (FPM) of ethanol in humans thereby increasing adverse effects of alcohol. The underlying causes, however, remain poorly understood. Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), principal enzymes responsible for metabolism of ethanol, are complex enzyme families that exhibit functional polymorphisms among ethnic groups and distinct tissue distributions. We investigated the inhibition profiles by aspirin and its major metabolite salicylate of ethanol oxidation by recombinant human ADH1A, ADH1B1, ADH1B2, ADH1B3, ADH1C1, ADH1C2, ADH2, and ADH4, and acetaldehyde oxidation by ALDH1A1 and ALDH2, at pH 7.5 and 0.5 mM NAD(+). Competitive inhibition pattern was found to be a predominant type among the ADHs and ALDHs studied, although noncompetitive and uncompetitive inhibitions were also detected in a few cases. The inhibition constants of salicylate for the ADHs and ALDHs were considerably lower than that of aspirin with the exception of ADH1A that can be ascribed to a substitution of Ala-93 at the bottom of substrate pocket as revealed by molecular docking experiments. Kinetic inhibition equation-based simulations show at higher therapeutic levels of blood plasma salicylate (1.5 mM) that the decrease of activities at 2-10 mM ethanol for ADH1A/ADH2 and ADH1B2/ADH1B3 are predicted to be 75-86% and 31-52%, respectively, and that the activity decline for ALDH1A1 and ALDH2 at 10-50 μM acetaldehyde to be 62-73%. Our findings suggest that salicylate may substantially inhibit hepatic FPM of alcohol at both the ADH and ALDH steps when concurrent intaking aspirin.

Inhibition of human alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases by acetaminophen: Assessment of the effects on first-pass metabolism of ethanol

Acetaminophen is one of the most widely used over-the-counter analgesic, antipyretic medications. Use of acetaminophen and alcohol are commonly associated. Previous studies showed that acetaminophen might affect bioavailability of ethanol by inhibiting gastric alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). However, potential inhibitions by acetaminophen of first-pass metabolism (FPM) of ethanol, catalyzed by the human ADH family and by relevant aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) isozymes, remain undefined. ADH and ALDH both exhibit racially distinct allozymes and tissue-specific distribution of isozymes, and are principal enzymes responsible for ethanol metabolism in humans. In this study, we investigated acetaminophen inhibition of ethanol oxidation with recombinant human ADH1A, ADH1B1, ADH1B2, ADH1B3, ADH1C1, ADH1C2, ADH2, and ADH4, and inhibition of acetaldehyde oxidation with recombinant human ALDH1A1 and ALDH2. The investigations were done at near physiological pH 7.5 and with a cytoplasmic coenzyme concentration of 0.5 mM NAD(+). Acetaminophen acted as a noncompetitive inhibitor for ADH enzymes, with the slope inhibition constants (Kis) ranging from 0.90 mM (ADH2) to 20 mM (ADH1A), and the intercept inhibition constants (Kii) ranging from 1.4 mM (ADH1C allozymes) to 19 mM (ADH1A). Acetaminophen exhibited noncompetitive inhibition for ALDH2 (Kis = 3.0 mM and Kii = 2.2 mM), but competitive inhibition for ALDH1A1 (Kis = 0.96 mM). The metabolic interactions between acetaminophen and ethanol/acetaldehyde were assessed by computer simulation using inhibition equations and the determined kinetic constants. At therapeutic to subtoxic plasma levels of acetaminophen (i.e., 0.2-0.5 mM) and physiologically relevant concentrations of ethanol (10 mM) and acetaldehyde (10 μm) in target tissues, acetaminophen could inhibit ADH1C allozymes (12-26%) and ADH2 (14-28%) in the liver and small intestine, ADH4 (15-31%) in the stomach, and ALDH1A1 (16-33%) and ALDH2 (8.3-19%) in all 3 tissues. The results suggest that inhibition by acetaminophen of hepatic and gastrointestinal FPM of ethanol through ADH and ALDH pathways might become significant at higher, subtoxic levels of acetaminophen.

ADH IB expression, but not ADH III, is decreased in human lung cancer

Endogenous S-nitrosothiols, including S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), mediate nitric oxide (NO)-based signaling, inflammatory responses, and smooth muscle function. Reduced GSNO levels have been implicated in several respiratory diseases, and inhibition of GSNO reductase, (GSNOR) the primary enzyme that metabolizes GSNO, represents a novel approach to treating inflammatory lung diseases. Recently, an association between decreased GSNOR expression and human lung cancer risk was proposed in part based on immunohistochemical staining using a polyclonal GSNOR antibody. GSNOR is an isozyme of the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) family, and we demonstrate that the antibody used in those studies cross reacts substantially with other ADH proteins and may not be an appropriate reagent. We evaluated human lung cancer tissue arrays using monoclonal antibodies highly specific for human GSNOR with minimal cross reactivity to other ADH proteins. We verified the presence of GSNOR in ≥85% of specimens examined, and extensive analysis of these samples demonstrated no difference in GSNOR protein expression between cancerous and normal lung tissues. Additionally, GSNOR and other ADH mRNA levels were evaluated quantitatively in lung cancer cDNA arrays by qPCR. Consistent with our immunohistochemical findings, GSNOR mRNA levels were not changed in lung cancer tissues, however the expression levels of other ADH genes were decreased. ADH IB mRNA levels were reduced (>10-fold) in 65% of the lung cancer cDNA specimens. We conclude that the previously reported results showed an incorrect association of GSNOR and human lung cancer risk, and a decrease in ADH IB, rather than GSNOR, correlates with human lung cancer.

Inhibition of human alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases by cimetidine and assessment of its effects on ethanol metabolism

Previous studies have reported that cimetidine, an H2-receptor antagonist used to treat gastric and duodenal ulcers, can inhibit alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) and ethanol metabolism. Human alcohol dehydrogenases and aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs), the principal enzymes responsible for metabolism of ethanol, are complex enzyme families that exhibit functional polymorphisms among ethnic groups and distinct tissue distributions. We investigated the inhibition by cimetidine of alcohol oxidation by recombinant human ADH1A, ADH1B1, ADH1B2, ADH1B3, ADH1C1, ADH1C2, ADH2, and ADH4, and aldehyde oxidation by ALDH1A1 and ALDH2 at pH 7.5 and a cytosolic NAD(+) concentration. Cimetidine acted as competitive or noncompetitive inhibitors for the ADH and ALDH isozymes/allozymes with near mM inhibition constants. The metabolic interactions between cimetidine and ethanol/acetaldehyde were assessed by computer simulation using the inhibition equations and the determined kinetic constants. At therapeutic drug levels (0.015 mM) and physiologically relevant concentrations of ethanol (10 mM) and acetaldehyde (10 μM) in target tissues, cimetidine could weakly inhibit (<5%) the activities of ADH1B2 and ADH1B3 in liver, ADH2 in liver and small intestine, ADH4 in stomach, and ALDH1A1 in the three tissues, but not significantly affect ADH1A, ADH1B1, ADH1C1/2, or ALDH2. At higher drug levels, which may accumulate in cells (0.2 mM), the activities of the weakly-inhibited enzymes may be decreased more significantly. The quantitative effects of cimetidine on metabolism of ethanol and other physiological substrates of ADHs need further investigation.

Expression pattern, ethanol-metabolizing activities, and cellular localization of alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases in human large bowel: association of the functional polymorphisms of ADH and ALDH genes with hemorrhoids and colorectal cancer

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) are principal enzymes responsible for metabolism of ethanol. Functional polymorphisms of ADH1B, ADH1C, and ALDH2 genes occur among racial populations. The goal of this study was to systematically determine the functional expressions and cellular localization of ADHs and ALDHs in human rectal mucosa, the lesions of adenocarcinoma and hemorrhoid, and the genetic association of allelic variations of ADH and ALDH with large bowel disorders. Twenty-one surgical specimens of rectal adenocarcinoma and the adjacent normal mucosa, including 16 paired tissues of rectal tumor, normal mucosae of rectum and sigmoid colon from the same individuals, and 18 surgical mixed hemorrhoid specimens and leukocyte DNA samples from 103 colorectal cancer patients, 67 hemorrhoid patients, and 545 control subjects recruited in previous study, were investigated. The isozyme/allozyme expression patterns of ADH and ALDH were identified by isoelectric focusing and the activities were assayed spectrophotometrically. The protein contents of ADH/ALDH isozymes were determined by immunoblotting using the corresponding purified class-specific antibodies; the cellular activity and protein localizations were detected by immunohistochemistry and histochemistry, respectively. Genotypes of ADH1B, ADH1C, and ALDH2 were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphisms. At 33mM ethanol, pH 7.5, the activity of ADH1C*1/1 phenotypes exhibited 87% higher than that of the ADH1C*1/*2 phenotypes in normal rectal mucosa. The activity of ALDH2-active phenotypes of rectal mucosa was 33% greater than ALDH2-inactive phenotypes at 200μM acetaldehyde. The protein contents in normal rectal mucosa were in the following order: ADH1>ALDH2>ADH3≈ALDH1A1, whereas those of ADH2, ADH4, and ALDH3A1 were fairly low. Both activity and content of ADH1 were significantly decreased in rectal tumors, whereas the ALDH activity remained unchanged. The ADH activity was also significantly reduced in hemorrhoids. ADH4 and ALDH3A1 were uniquely expressed in the squamous epithelium of anus at anorectal junctions. The allele frequencies of ADH1C*1 and ALDH2*2 were significantly higher in colorectal cancer and that of ALDH2*2 also significantly greater in hemorrhoids. In conclusion, ADH and ALDH isozymes are differentially expressed in mucosal cells of rectum and anus. The results suggest that acetaldehyde, an immediate metabolite of ethanol, may play an etiological role in pathogenesis of large bowel diseases.

Expression pattern, ethanol-metabolizing activities, and cellular localization of alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases in human pancreas: implications for pathogenesis of alcohol-induced pancreatic injury

BACKGROUND

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) are major enzymes responsible for metabolism of ethanol. Genetic polymorphisms of ADH1B, ADH1C, and ALDH2 occur among racial populations. The metabolic effect and metabolites contribute to pathogenesis of pancreatic injury. The goal of this study was to determine the functional expressions and cellular localization of ADH and ALDH families in human pancreas.

METHODS

Fifty five surgical specimens of normal pancreas as well as 15 samples each for chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer from archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue specimens were investigated. Class-specific antibodies were prepared by affinity chromatographies from rabbit antisera raised against recombinant human ADH1C1, ADH4, ADH5, ADH7, ALDH1A1, ALDH2, and ALDH3A1. The isozyme expression patterns of ADH/ALDH were identified by isoelectric focusing, and the activities were assayed spectrophotometrically. The protein contents of ADH/ALDH isozymes were determined by immunoblotting, and the cellular localizations were detected by immunohistochemistry and histochemistry.

RESULTS

At 33 mM ethanol, pH 7.5, the activities were significantly different between allelic phenotypes of ADH1B. The activity of ALDH2-inactive phenotypes was slightly lower than ALDH2-active phenotypes at 200 microM acetaldehyde. The protein contents were in the following decreasing order: ALDH1A1, ALDH2, ADH1, and ADH5. ADH1B was detected in the acinar cells and ADH1C in the ductular, islet, and stellate cells. The expression of ADH1C appeared to be increased in the activated pancreatic stellate cells in chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Alcohol dehydrogenase and ALDH family members are differentially expressed in the various cell types of pancreas. ADH1C may play an important role in modulation of activation of pancreatic stellate cells.

Genetic polymorphisms in cytochrome P4502E1, alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases and the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Gansu Chinese males

AIM: To evaluate the association between genetic polymorphisms in CYP2E1, ALDH2 and ADH1B and the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in a high risk area of Gansu Province, in Chinese males.

METHODS: A case-control study was conducted to investigate the genetic polymorphisms of these enzymes (CYP2E1*c1/*c2, ALDH2*1/*2 and ADH1B *1/*1 genotypes). A total of 80 esophageal cancer cases and 480 controls were recruited.

RESULTS: Compared with controls, cases had a greater prevalence of heavier alcohol consumption (53.8% vs 16.2%) and a higher proportion of alcohol drinkers with > 30 drink-years (28.8% vs 13.5%). Heavier alcohol consumption and alcohol drinking with > 30 drink-years increased the risk of ESCC, with ORs (95% CI) of 3.20 (1.32-9.65) and 1.68 (0.96-3.21). CYP2E1 (*c1/*c1), ALDH2 (*1/*2) and ADH1B (*1/*1) genotype frequencies were higher among patients with squamous cell carcinomas, at a level close to statistical significance (P = 0.014; P = 0.094; P = 0.0001 respectively). There were synergistic interactions among alcohol drinking and ALDH2, ADH1B and CYP2E1 genotypes. The risk of the ESCC in moderate-to-heavy drinkers with an inactive ALDH2 encoded by ALDH2*1/*2 as well as ADH1B encoded by ADH1B *1/*1 and CYP2E1 encoded by CYP2E1 *c1/*c1 was higher than that in the never/rare-to-light drinkers with an active ALDH2 (*1/*1 genotype) as well as ADH1B (*1/*2 + *2/*2) and CYP2E1 (*c1/*c2 + *c2/*c2) genotypes, with a statistically significant difference; ORs (95% CI) of 8.58 (3.28-22.68), 27.12 (8.52-70.19) and 7.64 (2.82-11.31) respectively. The risk of the ESCC in moderate-to-heavy drinkers with ALDH2 (*1/*2) combined the ADH1B (*1/*1) genotype or ALDH2 (*1/*2) combined the CYP2E1 (*c1/*c1) genotype leads to synergistic interactions, higher than drinkers with ALDH2 (*1/*1) + ADH1B (*1/*2 + *2/*2), ALDH2 (*1/*1) + CYP2E1 (*c1/*c2 + *c2/*c2) respectively , ORs (95% CI) of 7.46 (3.28-18.32) and 6.82 (1.44-9.76) respectively. Individuals with the ADH1B combined the CYP2E1 genotype showed no synergistic interaction.

CONCLUSION: In our study, we found that alcohol consumption and polymorphisms in the CYP2E1, ADH1B and ALDH2 genes are important risk factors for ESCC, and that there was a synergistic interaction among polymorphisms in the CYP2E1, ALDH2 and ADH1B genes and heavy alcohol drinking, in Chinese males living in Gansu Province, China.

A multiple reaction monitoring method for absolute quantification of the human liver alcohol dehydrogenase ADH1C1 isoenzyme

Although significant progress has been made in protein quantification using mass spectrometry during recent years, absolute protein quantification in complex biological systems remains a challenging task in proteomics. The use of stable isotope-labeled standard peptide is the most commonly used strategy for absolute quantification, but it might not be suitable in all instances. Here we report an alternative strategy that employs a stable isotope-labeled intact protein as an internal standard to absolutely quantify the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) expression level in a human liver sample. In combination with a new targeted proteomics approach employing the method of multiple reaction monitoring (MRM), we precisely and quantitatively measured the absolute protein expression level of an ADH isoenzyme, ADH1C1, in human liver. Isotope-labeled protein standards are predicted to be particularly useful for measurement of highly homologous isoenzymes such as ADHs where multiple signature peptides can be examined by MRM in a single experiment.