Human cytochromes P450: evolution and cDNA-directed expression.

As the first step in the process of carcinogenesis, most chemical carcinogens require metabolic activation by cytochromes P450 for conversion to highly reactive electrophiles that bind covalently to DNA. Studies in rodents suggest that low or high levels of expression of a single P450 can determine susceptibility or resistance to chemically induced cancer. Although rodent systems have been used to explore the molecular basis of chemical carcinogenesis and to identify chemicals capable of damaging genes and causing cancer, it has been understood that marked species differences exist in the expression, regulation, and catalytic activities of different P450s. Thus, large efforts are underway to study the catalytic activities of human P450s directly by expression of their cDNAs in cultured cells. Two systems are being used: a) transient high-level P450 production in HepG2 cells for analysis of catalytic activities, and b) stable expression in human B-lymphoblastoid cells to study promutagen and procarcinogen activation. These studies define the relative contributions of individual P450 forms to the activation of various chemical carcinogens. The B-lymphoblastoid cDNA expression system can also be used to determine whether a chemical will be hazardous or toxic to humans. The most intriguing aspects of P450s are the occurrence of human genetic polymorphisms in P450 expression, which could be a risk factor for chemical carcinogenesis. The best-studied P450 genetic polymorphism is the debrisoquine/sparteine polymorphism which is due to mutant CYP2D6 alleles. Four mutant alleles have been characterized that account for most of the defective CYP2D6 genes in Caucasians. These can be detected by polymerase chain reaction assays.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)