Expressed sequence tags from cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis) liver: a systematic identification of drug-metabolizing enzymes.

The liver, a major organ for drug metabolism, is physiologically similar between monkeys and humans. However, the paucity of identified genes has hampered a deep understanding of drug metabolism in monkeys. To provide such a genetic resource, 28655 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were generated from a cynomolgus monkey liver full-length enriched cDNA library, which contained 23 unique ESTs homologous to human drug-metabolizing enzymes. Our comparative genomics approach identified nine lineage-specific candidate ESTs, including three drug-metabolizing enzymes, which could be important for understanding the physiological differences between monkeys and humans.