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B S Masters

Publications and source records attributed to B S Masters.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Flavin-binding and protein structural integrity studies on NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase are consistent with the presence of distinct domains.

NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (reductase) contains FMN and FAD in 1:1 stoichiometry as tightly bound cofactors. Electrons from NADPH are transferred to cytochrome P450 through the intermediacy of reductase. A knowledge of the interactions which must occur to allow the intermolecular and intramolecular transfer of electrons is not only of intrinsic interest but is necessary to understand the regulation of the overall oxidation-reduction processes in which cytochromes P450 participate in the endoplasmic reticulum of many organs. In the present study, urea has been employed as a chaotropic agent to study the dissociation of flavins from NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase. The results show that dissociation of FMN occurs at concentrations of urea between 0 and 1 M and that, as the concentrations of urea approach 1 M, the intrinsic protein fluorescence increases, indicating a change in protein conformation. Above 2 M urea protein fluorescence increases, reaching a plateau at 3 M urea, and FAD begins to dissociate from the enzyme. In the range of 0-1 M urea, a completely reversible dissociation of FMN occurs and, at 3 M urea, the fluorescence values representing flavin dissociation and protein conformation changes have reached a maximum. Thus, the definition of various states of the flavoprotein with both, one, or no flavins bound and the ability to remove the flavins reversibly under specific conditions have permitted the construction of a simple model to explain the various unfolding intermediates of this enzyme. Our experiments suggest that reductase is composed of distinct domains which can be examined independently by the application of chaotropic agents.

Circular Dichroism↗
PubMed1994

L-thiocitrulline. A stereospecific, heme-binding inhibitor of nitric-oxide synthases.

Nitric-oxide synthase (NOS) catalyzes the oxidation of L-arginine to citrulline and nitric oxide (NO). The enzyme is inhibited by a variety of N omega-monosubstituted L-arginine analogs, and some of these compounds are useful in reversing pathologies associated with the overproduction of NO (e.g. the hypotension of septic shock). We report here that L-thiocitrulline (gamma-thioureido-L-norvaline) is a potent, stereospecific inhibitor of the constitutive brain and endothelial isoforms of NOS as well as the isoform induced in vascular smooth muscle cells by lipopolysaccharide and interferon-gamma. Steady state kinetic studies show L-thiocitrulline inhibition is competitive with L-arginine (Ki approximately 4-20% of KArgm), indicating that initial binding is as a substrate/product analog. In contrast to L-arginine and N omega-methyl-L-arginine, the prototypic NOS inhibitor, L-thiocitrulline binding elicits a "Type II" difference spectrum, indicating a high spin to low spin transition of the iron in the heme cofactor. This finding suggests that L-thiocitrulline is contributing the sixth ligand to heme iron, probably through the thioureido sulfur. Such interaction with heme iron neither stimulates nor inhibits the direct flavin-mediated cytochrome c reduction activity of the enzyme, but it does inhibit heme-dependent superoxide formation. In vivo, L-thiocitrulline is a potent pressor agent in both normal and endotoxemic rats, the latter finding suggesting utility in treating the hypotension of septic shock.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1994

Evidence for a bidomain structure of constitutive cerebellar nitric oxide synthase.

Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) catalyzes the NADPH-dependent, Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent formation of NO and citrulline from L-arginine and molecular oxygen. The localization of the heme-binding consensus sequence in the NH2-terminal half of NOS and of the binding sequences for nucleotides (FMN and FAD) in the COOH-terminal half suggests a bidomain structure. In addition, the presence of a putative calmodulin-binding sequence between the heme- and flavin-binding domains of the enzyme suggests a role for calmodulin in modulating a spatial orientation of these domains that is required for catalytic activity. First, to determine the effects of calmodulin and the functionality of the separated domains, Ca2+/calmodulin binding-induced conformational changes in NOS were measured by fluorescence quenching, from which a binding constant of approximately 1 nM for calmodulin was calculated. Second, electron transport to various artificial acceptors was measured. The addition of Ca2+/calmodulin increased cytochrome c reduction from 10-15-fold while stimulating the rate of 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol and ferricyanide reduction only slightly, if at all. Calmodulin stimulation of NOS results in NADPH-mediated cytochrome c reduction, which is sensitive to superoxide dismutase, and the reduction of acetylated cytochrome c, which is only weakly reducible by unstimulated NOS. Thus, this stimulated activity is presumably superoxide anion-mediated. Third, limited proteolysis of NOS in the absence of calmodulin resulted in a time-dependent increase in cytochrome c reductase activity, which was not inhibitable by superoxide dismutase, and a decrease in catalysis of NO formation. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of the tryptic digest demonstrated the formation of approximately 89- and approximately 79-kDa fragments. Sequence analysis of the peptides confirmed that trypsin cleaves the enzyme in the putative calmodulin-binding region beginning with Ala728. This region was protected from proteolysis by the addition of Ca2+/calmodulin. The separated NH2-terminal domain exhibited the characteristic spectrum of bound heme, while the COOH-terminal domain showed the characteristic spectrum of bound flavins. Other cleavage patterns were obtained in the presence of calmodulin. The data demonstrate that the heme- and flavin-binding domains of NOS can be isolated in functionally intact forms.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1994

Effects of 17-octadecynoic acid, a suicide-substrate inhibitor of cytochrome P450 fatty acid omega-hydroxylase, on renal function in rats.

This study evaluated the ability of 17-octadecynoic acid (17-ODYA) to inhibit the metabolism of arachidonic acid by cytochrome P450 in renal cortical microsomes of rats, and characterized the effects of intrarenal infusion of this substance on renal hemodynamics and the excretion of water and electrolytes. 17-ODYA was a potent inhibitor (IC50 < 100 nM) of the formation of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid, epoxyeicosatrienoic acids and dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids by rat renal cortical microsomes incubated with arachidonic acid. Infusion of 17-ODYA (16.5 nmol/min; n = 8) directly into the renal cortical interstitium of rats produced a diuresis and a natriuresis which were associated with an increase in renal papillary blood flow in the absence of changes in renal blood flow, cortical blood flow or glomerular filtration rate. 17-ODYA inhibited the omega-hydroxylation of arachidonic acid by microsomes prepared from the infused kidney by 61.3 +/- 9.2% (n = 7) relative to that observed in the contralateral kidney, whereas infusion of vehicle (n = 6) or palmitate (n = 4) had no effect on renal metabolism of arachidonic acid by cytochrome P450. Infusion of 17-ODYA (33 nmol/min) into the renal artery of rats also increased urine flow and sodium excretion, whereas renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate were not significantly altered. Papillary blood flow increased 36% during infusion of 17-ODYA into the renal artery, and renal interstitial hydrostatic pressure increased from 8.7 +/- 1.1 to 13.8 +/- 1.5 mm Hg. These results suggest that endogenous cytochrome P450 metabolites of arachidonic acid influence renal medullary hemodynamics and the excretion of water and electrolytes.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Expression of rabbit cytochromes P4504A which catalyze the omega-hydroxylation of arachidonic acid, fatty acids, and prostaglandins.

The omega-hydroxylation product of arachidonic acid is thought to be a potent vasoconstrictor or a precursor thereof in kidney. In this report, we have measured the capacity of four rabbit CYP4A enzymes, each expressed in COS-1 cells, to catalyze the omega-hydroxylation of arachidonic acid. These rates were compared to those obtained for other substrates such as lauric acid, palmitic acid, and prostaglandins PGE1 and PGA1. With the exception of P4504A5, all of the enzymes tested exhibited relatively high rates for the omega-hydroxylation of arachidonic acid. P4504A5 showed very little activity toward arachidonic or palmitic acids as compared to that toward lauric acid (< 10%). In contrast, P4504A6 and P4504A7 catalyzed the omega-hydroxylation of arachidonic acid at rates that were roughly 50% of that observed for lauric acid. P4504A4 was not active toward lauric acid, but it also catalyzed the omega-hydroxylation of arachidonic acid at a rate that was roughly 20% of that exhibited for PGE1. Thus, each enzyme exhibits a distinct substrate specificity profile across this panel of substrates. A sensitive RNase protection assay was used to provide a more quantitative estimate of the relative abundance of mRNAs encoding P4504A5, P4504A6, and P4504A7 in liver and kidney from control, pregnant, and clofibrate-treated animals. CYP4A5 is the most abundant of the mRNAs, but it was not induced in kidney and only moderately (2-fold) in liver by clofibric acid. CYP4A7 exhibits a similar pattern of induction by clofibrate. In contrast, CYP4A6 is induced 12-fold in liver and 6-fold in kidney. The higher induction ratio largely reflects a lower basal level of expression for CYP4A6 than for CYP4A7 and CYP4A5. Following treatment with clofibrate, the amount of CYP4A6 mRNA is similar to those of CYP4A5 and CYP4A7. Pregnancy did not affect the expression of CYP4A5, CYP4A6, or CYP4A7, although it induced the expression of CYP4A4 to detectable levels in the liver and kidney, where it is not normally found in nonpregnant animals. Our results indicate that the enzyme whose mRNA is most highly induced by clofibric acid (P4504A6) and the enzyme selectively elevated during pregnancy (P4504A4) both exhibit relatively high rates for the omega-hydroxylation of arachidonic acid.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Optical difference spectrophotometry as a probe of rat brain nitric oxide synthase heme-substrate interaction.

NO synthase (NOS) is a family of enzymes that catalyzes the NADPH-dependent formation of NO and citrulline from L-arginine and molecular oxygen. The reaction involves an initial hydroxylation of L-arginine to form the isolable intermediate NG-hydroxy-L-arginine (NOHArg). The subsequent incorporation of a second atom of oxygen during the metabolism of NOHArg is required to yield the final products NO and citrulline. NOS contains heme iron, FAD, FMN, and tetrahydrobiopterin prosthetic groups. To examine the interaction of substrates with the heme prosthetic group, substrate perturbation difference spectrophotometry was employed. By analogy with substrate binding interactions with cytochromes P450, NOS exhibits "type I" substrate perturbation difference spectra with the substrates L-arginine and NOHArg and the inhibitor NG-methyl-L-arginine (NMA). These spectral perturbations are characterized by the appearance in the difference spectrum of a peak at approximately 380 nm, a trough with an absorbance minimum at approximately 420 nm, and an isosbestic point at approximately 405 nm. The spectral binding constants, Ks, for L-arginine and NMA were determined to be approximately 2.5 microM. These values are in agreement with the reported kinetic constants for these compounds. The "apparent Ks" values for NOHArg were 0.4 microM (2.0 microM NOS) and 0.8 microM (3.5 microM NOS), respectively. Furthermore, NOS exhibits "type II" difference spectra upon titration with imidazole, characterized by the appearance of a peak at approximately 430 nm and a trough at approximately 395 nm, with a spectral binding constant of approximately 160 microM.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1993

Cytochrome P450 4A4: expression in Escherichia coli, purification, and characterization of catalytic properties.

Rabbit lung prostaglandin omega-hydroxylase (P450 4A4) was expressed in Escherichia coli using the isopropyl beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) inducible expression vector pCWori+, containing the full-length cDNA encoding the P450 4A4. The first seven codons were changed to reflect E. coli codon bias [a modification of the method of Barnes et al. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88, 5597-5601]; only the second residue of P450 4A4 was altered (Ser to Ala), while the remaining mutations were silent. This strategy was adopted in order to minimize changes in the structure of the expressed enzyme. Induction by IPTG of the apoprotein peaked after 6 h, and by including the heme precursor delta-aminolevulinic acid, enzymatic activity peaked 12 h after addition of IPTG. The isolated membrane fraction, free of cell debris, contained 12-15 nmol of P450/L of media. The expressed enzyme was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity, and kinetic and spectrophotometric data indicate that this expressed, purified enzyme is equivalent to the enzyme purified from rabbit lung. The Km for PGE1 was determined to be 3.0 microM, which is the same as that obtained for the enzyme purified from lung [Williams et al. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 14600-14608]. The CO-reduced difference spectrum of purified P450 4A4 exhibited a lambda max at 450 nm, and the absolute absorbance spectrum of the pyridine hemochromogen revealed a typical b type heme. To characterize P450 4A4 further, the catalytic activities with prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), arachidonate, 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HETE), and palmitate were investigated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aminolevulinic Acid↗
PubMed1993

Mechanism-based inhibitors of prostaglandin omega-hydroxylase: (R)- and (S)-12-hydroxy-16-heptadecynoic acid and 2,2-dimethyl-12-hydroxy-16-heptadecynoic acid.

12-Hydroxy-16-heptadecynoic acid has been shown to selectively inactivate cytochrome P450 4A4, a pulmonary cytochrome P450 enzyme that catalyzes the omega-hydroxylation of prostaglandins [Muerhoff, A. S.; Williams, D. E.; Reich, N. O.; CaJacob, C. A.; Ortiz de Montellano, P. R.; Masters, B. S. S. J. Biol. Chem. 1989, 264, 749-756]. Potent, specific inhibitors of this enzyme are required to explore its physiological role. In a continuing effort to develop such agents, the two enantiomers of 12-hydroxy-16-heptadecynoic acid have been stereospecifically synthesized, their absolute stereochemistry confirmed, and the dependence of enzyme inactivation on absolute stereochemistry determined using cytochrome P450 4A4 purified from the lungs of pregnant rabbits. The 12S enantiomer is roughly twice as active (KI = 1.8 microM, t1/2 = 0.7 min) as the 12R enantiomer (KI = 3.6 microM, t1/2 = 0.8 min), but the chirality of the hydroxyl group is not a major determinant of the specificity for the prostaglandin omega-hydroxylase. The flexibility of the acyclic skeleton of the inhibitor may account for the relatively low enantiomeric discrimination. 2,2-Dimethyl-12-hydroxy-16-heptadecynoic acid, an analogue that cannot undergo beta-oxidation, has also been synthesized as a potential in vivo inhibitor of the enzyme and has been shown to inactivate the purified enzyme with KI = 4.9 microM and t1/2 = 1.0 min. These acetylenic agents, particularly the dimethyl analog, are promising in vivo inhibitors of cytochrome P450 4A4.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid is an endogenous vasoconstrictor of canine renal arcuate arteries.

Recent studies have indicated that renal arteries can produce 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) and suggest the potential involvement of a P450 metabolite of arachidonic acid in the myogenic activation of canine renal arteries. In the present study, the effects of 20-HETE on isolated canine renal arcuate arteries were studied. Administration of 20-HETE to the bath or the lumen at concentrations of 0.01-1 microM produced a graded reduction in the diameter of these vessels. In contrast, 19(R)-HETE was a vasodilator, whereas 19(S)-HETE was relatively inactive. The vasoconstrictor response to 20-HETE was not altered by the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin, endoperoxide/thromboxane receptor antagonist SQ29548, or combined blockade of the cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase, and P450 pathways using indomethacin, baicalein, and 7-ethoxyresorufin. The response to 20-HETE was associated with depolarization and a sustained increase in the intracellular calcium concentration in renal vascular smooth muscle cells. Patch-clamp studies indicated that 20-HETE significantly reduced mean open time, the open-state probability, and the frequency of opening of a 117-pS K+ channel recorded from renal vascular smooth muscle cells in the cell-attached mode. Microsomes prepared from the renal cortex of dogs produced 20-HETE and 20-carboxyarachidonic acid when incubated with [14C]arachidonic acid. These results indicate that 20-HETE is an endogenous constrictor of canine renal arcuate arteries. The vasoconstrictor response to 20-HETE resembles the myogenic activation of these vessels after elevations in transmural pressure and suggests a potential role for this substance in the regulation of renal vascular tone.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Cloned, expressed rat cerebellar nitric oxide synthase contains stoichiometric amounts of heme, which binds carbon monoxide.

The endogenous formation of nitric oxide (NO) has become an area of intense interest as evidence for its biological functions has been obtained in three distinct tissues: circulating macrophages, in which it exerts cytotoxic effects; blood vessels, in which it has been identified as endothelium-derived relaxing factor; and neuronal cells, in which it functions as a neurotransmitter. The formation of NO in brain extracts has been shown to be catalyzed by an enzyme, termed NO synthase, which generates the NO responsible for stimulation of cGMP formation, the highest levels of which occur in the cerebellum. NO synthase catalyzes the formation of citrulline from arginine with the coincident production of NO and has been shown to be a flavoprotein, containing 1 mol each of FAD and FMN, tetrahydrobiopterin, and iron. It is also reported to contain an alpha-helical, calmodulin-binding consensus sequence consistent with its stimulation by calmodulin in the presence of Ca2+. The formation of NO requires incorporation of one of the atoms of molecular oxygen into one of the guanidinium nitrogen atoms of arginine with the coincident formation of citrulline. This communication reports that rat cerebellar NO synthase, cloned and stably expressed in human kidney 293 cells, contains heme in amounts stoichiometric with the flavins FAD and FMN as evidenced by the appearance of a pyridine hemochrome and a reduced CO difference spectrum with an absorbance maximum at approximately 445 nm. The finding of a CO-binding heme moiety explains the presence of iron in the enzyme and suggests a role for prosthetic heme as an oxygenase reaction center. This report also presents evidence for incorporation of delta-[14C]aminolevulinate specifically into immunoprecipitable NO synthase in stably transfected human kidney 293 cells but not in nontransfected cells. Simultaneously, K. A. White and M. A. Marletta [(1992) Biochemistry 31, 6627-6631] have demonstrated a CO-binding heme prosthetic group in purified murine macrophage NO synthase and have suggested the identity of these reaction centers in both the constitutive (cerebellar) and inducible (macrophage) forms of NO synthase.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1992

31P NMR spectroscopic studies on purified, native and cloned, expressed forms of NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase.

31P NMR spectroscopy has been utilized in conjunction with site-directed mutagenesis and phospholipid analysis to determine structural aspects of the prosthetic flavins, FAD and FMN, of NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase. Comparisons are made among detergent-solubilized and protease (steapsin)-solubilized preparations of porcine liver reductases, showing unequivocally that the 31P NMR signals at approximately 0.0 ppm in the detergent-solubilized, hydrophobic form are attributable to phospholipids. By extraction and TLC analysis, the phospholipid contents of detergent-solubilized rat liver reductase, both tissue-purified and Escherichia coli-expressed, have been determined to reflect the membranes from which the enzyme was extracted. In addition, the cloned, wild-type NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase exhibits an additional pair of signals downfield of the normal FAD pyrophosphate resonances reported by Otvos et al. [(1986) Biochemistry 25, 7220-7228], but these signals are not observed with tissue-purified or mutant enzyme preparations. The Tyr140----Asp140 mutant, which exhibits only 20% of wild-type activity, displays no gross changes in 31P NMR spectra. However, the Tyr178----Asp178 mutant, which has no catalytic activity and does not bind FMN, exhibits no FMN 31P NMR signal and a normal, but low intensity, pair of signals for FAD. The latter experiments, taking advantage of mutations in residues putatively on either side of the FMN isoalloxazine ring, suggest subtle to severe changes in the binding of the flavin prosthetic groups and, perhaps, cooperative interactions of flavin binding to NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Inhibitors of cytochrome P-450 attenuate the myogenic response of dog renal arcuate arteries.

The role of cytochrome P-450 in the myogenic response of isolated, perfused renal arcuate arteries of dogs to elevations in transmural pressure was examined. The phospholipase A2 inhibitor oleyloxyethylphosphorylcholine (1 and 10 microM) inhibited the greater than threefold increase in active wall tension in these arteries after an elevation in perfusion pressure from 80 to 160 mm Hg. Inhibition of cyclooxygenase activity with indomethacin (1 or 10 microM) had no effect on this response. The cytochrome P-450 inhibitors ketoconazole (10 and 100 microM) and beta-diethyl-aminoethyldiphenylpropylacetate (SKF 525A, 10 and 100 microM) also inhibited the myogenic response. At a pressure of 160 mm Hg, SKF 525A (10 microM) and ketoconazole (100 microM) reduced active wall tension in renal arteries by approximately 70%. Partial inhibition of the myogenic response was obtained after perfusion of the vessels with mechanism-based inhibitors of P-450, 1-aminobenzotriazole (75 microM) and 12-hydroxy-16-heptadecynoic acid (20 microM). The thromboxane receptor antagonist SQ 29,548 (1 or 10 microM) had no effect on the pressure-induced increase in active wall tension in renal arteries. Arachidonic acid (50 microM) constricted isolated perfused renal arteries and potentiated the myogenic response in the presence of indomethacin. This response was completely reversed by ketoconazole (100 microM) or SKF 525A (100 microM). Microsomes (1 mg/ml) prepared from small renal arteries (200-500 microns) and incubated with [1-14C]arachidonic acid (0.5 mu Ci, 50 microM) produced a metabolite that coeluted with 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) during reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The formation of this product was inhibited by both ketoconazole and SKF 525A at concentrations of 10 and 100 microM. These results are consistent with the involvement of the vasoconstrictor 20-HETE and other cytochrome P-450 metabolites of endogenous fatty acids in the myogenic response.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Cloning and expression of three rabbit kidney cDNAs encoding lauric acid omega-hydroxylases.

cDNAs encoding three cytochrome P-450 enzymes were cloned from a rabbit kidney cDNA library. These three cDNAs exhibit greater than 90% nucleotide sequence identity across the coding region. This degree of sequence identity is also seen with P450IVA4, an enzyme that catalyzes the omega-hydroxylation of prostaglandins and that is elevated during pregnancy and induced by progesterone in rabbit lung. The 3' untranslated regions of the three cDNAs display very little sequence identity, suggesting that they are the products of distinct genes. The predicted amino acid sequences derived from each cDNA and for P450IVA4 exhibit about 85% identity. Each cDNA was inserted into an expression vector for transient transfection of COS-1 cells. The transfected cells each expressed a protein recognized by antibodies to P450IVA4. Microsomes isolated from the cells transfected with each cDNA efficiently catalyzed the omega-hydroxylation of lauric acid with rates that greatly exceed that catalyzed by microsomes isolated from the host cell line. One of the cDNAs encodes an enzyme that omega-hydroxylates prostaglandin A1; however, the specific activity was 2 orders of magnitude lower than that for lauric acid. Our results indicate that the substrate selectivity of the kidney P-450s encoded by these cDNAs is distinct from that of the lung P450IVA4 and that multiple enzymes comprise P-450 class IVA in the rabbit.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Prostaglandin and fatty acid omega- and (omega-1)-oxidation in rabbit lung. Acetylenic fatty acid mechanism-based inactivators as specific inhibitors.

Terminal acetylenic fatty acid mechanism-based inhibitors (Ortiz de Montellano, P. R., and Reich, N. O. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 4136-4141) were used as probes in determining the substrate specificity of rabbit lung cytochrome P-450 isozymes of pregnant animals in both microsomes and reconstituted systems. Lung microsomal and reconstituted P-450 form 5-catalyzed lauric acid omega- and (omega-1)-hydroxylase activities were inhibited by a 12-carbon terminal acetylenic fatty acid, 11-dodecynoic acid (11-DDYA), and an 18-carbon terminal acetylenic fatty acid, 17-octadecynoic acid (17-ODYA). Rabbit lung microsomal lauric acid omega-hydroxylase activity was more sensitive to inhibition by 11-DDYA than was (omega-1)-hydroxylase activity. In reconstituted systems containing purified P-450 form 5, both omega- and (omega-1)-hydroxylation of lauric acid were inhibited in parallel when either 11-DDYA or 17-ODYA was used. These data suggest the presence of at least two P-450 isozymes in rabbit lung microsomes capable of lauric acid omega-hydroxylation. This is the first report indicating the multiplicity of lauric acid hydroxylases in lung microsomes. Lung microsomal prostaglandin omega-hydroxylation, mediated by the pregnancy-inducible P-450PG-omega (Williams, D. E., Hale, S. E., Okita, R. T., and Masters, B. S. S. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 14600-14608) was subject to inhibition by 17-ODYA only, whereas 11-DDYA acid was not an effective inhibitor of this hydroxylase. We have recently developed a new terminal acetylenic fatty acid, 12-hydroxy-16-heptadecynoic acid (12-HHDYA), that contains a hydroxyl group at the omega-6 position. We show that 12-HHDYA possesses a high degree of selectivity for the inactivation of rabbit lung microsomal prostaglandin omega-hydroxylase activity which cannot be obtained with the long chain acetylenic inhibitor, 17-ODYA. In addition, 12-HHDYA has no effect on lauric acid omega- or omega-1-hydroxylation or on benzphetamine N-demethylation. The development of this new terminal acetylenic fatty acid inhibitor provides us with a useful tool with which to study the physiological role of prostaglandin omega-hydroxylation in the rabbit lung during pregnancy.

Animals↗