Harini Venkataraman

A single active site mutation inverts stereoselectivity of 16-hydroxylation of testosterone catalyzed by engineered cytochrome P450 BM3.

Inversion of stereoselectivity: screening of a minimal mutant library revealed a cytochrome P450 BM3 variant M01 A82W S72I capable of producing 16 α-OH-testosterone. Remarkably, a single active site mutation S72I in M01 A82W inverted the stereoselectivity of hydroxylation from 16 β to 16 α. Introduction of S72I mutation in another 16 β-OH-selective variant M11 V87I, also resulted in similar inversion of stereoselectivity.

Free energy calculations give insight into the stereoselective hydroxylation of α-ionones by engineered cytochrome P450 BM3 mutants.

Previously, stereoselective hydroxylation of α-ionone by Cytochrome P450 BM3 mutants M01 A82W and M11 L437N was observed. While both mutants hydroxylate α-ionone in a regioselective manner at the C3 position, M01 A82W catalyzes formation of trans-3-OH-α-ionone products whereas M11 L437N exhibits opposite stereoselectivity, producing trans-(3S,6S)-OH-α-ionone and cis-(3S,6R)-OH-α-ionone. Here, we explore the stereoselective C3 hydroxylation of α-ionone by Cytochrome P450 BM3 mutants M01 A82W and M11 L437N using molecular dynamics-based free energy calculations to study the interaction between the enzyme and both the substrates and the products. The one-step perturbation approach is applied using an optimized reference state for substrates and products. While the free energy differences between the substrates free in solution amount to ~0 kJ mol(-1), the differences in mutant M01 A82W agree with the experimentally obtained dissociation constants K(d). Moreover, a correlation with experimentally observed trends in product formation is found in both mutants. The trans isomers show the most favorable relative binding free energy in the range of all four possible hydroxylated diastereomers for mutant M01 A82W, while the trans product from (6S)-α-ionone and the cis product from (6R)-α-ionone show highest affinity for mutant M11 L437N. Marcus theory is subsequently used to relate the thermodynamic stability to transition state energies and rates of formation.

Simulation of interindividual differences in inactivation of reactive para-benzoquinone imine metabolites of diclofenac by glutathione S-transferases in human liver cytosol

Diclofenac is a widely prescribed NSAID that causes severe idiosyncratic drug induced liver injury (IDILI) in a small part of the patient population. Formation of protein-reactive metabolites is considered to play a role in the development of diclofenac-induced IDILI. Therefore, a high hepatic activity of enzymes involved in bioactivation of diclofenac is expected to increase the risk for liver injury. However, the extent of covalent protein binding may also be determined by activity of protective enzymes, such as glutathione S-transferases (GSTs). This is supported by an association study in which a correlation was found between NSAID-induced IDILI and the combined null genotypes of GSTM1 and GSTT1. In the present study, the activity of 10 different recombinant human GSTs in inactivation of protein-reactive quinoneimine (QI) metabolites of diclofenac was tested. Both at low and high GSH concentrations, high activities of GSTA1-1, A2-2, A3-3, M1-1, M3-3 and P1-1 in the inactivation of these QIs were found. By using the expression levels of GSTs in livers of 22 donors, a 6-fold variation in GST-dependent inactivation of reactive diclofenac metabolites was predicted. Moreover, it was shown in vitro that GSTs can strongly increase the efficiency of GSH to protect against the alkylation of the model thiol N-acetylcysteine by reactive diclofenac metabolites. The results of this study demonstrate that variability of GST expression may significantly contribute to the inter-individual differences in susceptibility to diclofenac-induced liver injury. In addition, expression levels of GSTs in in vitro models for hepatotoxicity may be important factors determining sensitivity to diclofenac cytotoxicity.