Glutathione transferases in rat lung: the presence of transferase 7-7, highly efficient in the conjugation of glutathione with the carcinogenic (+)-7 beta, 8 alpha-dihydroxy-9 alpha, 10 alpha-oxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene.

The enzyme-catalysed conjugation of (+/-)-7 beta,8 alpha-dihydroxy-9 alpha, 10 alpha-oxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene [(+/-)-anti-BPDE] with glutathione (GSH) by cytosolic GSH transferases isolated primarily from rat lung has been studied. GSH transferase 4-4 was active in the GSH conjugation of anti-BPDE, whereas transferases 2-2 and 3-3 showed little activity. GSH transferase 1-1 did not contribute to the activity since significant amounts were not detected in the rat lung. Activity was also obtained with several acidic pulmonary GSH transferases and with a newly described form, transferase 7-7, also isolated from rat kidney and from hyperplastic liver nodules. The catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) of transferase 7-7 was seven times that of transferase 4-4, the most active rat transferase previously identified. When the GSH concentration was varied at constant (+/-)-anti-BPDE concentration in the presence of transferases 4-4, 7-7 or the major acidic transferase, non-linear Lineweaver-Burk plots were obtained. Resolution of the GSH conjugates of the two enantiomers of (+/-)-anti-BPDE by h.p.l.c. showed that all isoenzymes with notable activity were selective (greater than or equal to 97%) for the (+)-enantiomer of anti-BPDE, which is generally considered to be the most carcinogenic form of BPDE. The possibility that one enantiomer inhibits the conjugation of the other enantiomer with GSH cannot be excluded and may quantitatively affect the results obtained.