2-ABT-S-oxide detoxification by glutathione S-transferases A1-1, M1-1 and P1-1: Implications for toxicity associated with zileuton

1. Zileuton, an agent which targets the leukotriene pathway through inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO), was approved for the treatment of asthma in 1997. Shortly after its release, its use was restricted due to the observation of hepatotoxicity in patients.

2. Previous research from the authors’ laboratory demonstrated the formation of the reactive metabolite, 2-ABT-S-oxide (M1) from zileuton, and has identified a mercapturate of 2-ABT, C1, in the urine of rats dosed with zileuton. The reaction between M1 and glutathione (GSH) has been established in vitro; however, the potential for catalysis by glutathione transferases (GSTs) was not addressed.

3. The work presented here outlines a role for GSTs in the detoxification of M1. Non-enzymatic conjugation studies with M1 and GSH in control experiments led to a t_1/2 of 6.4 ± 0.4 h at pH 6.5. This rate was accelerated in the presence of GSTA1-1, GSTM1-1 and GSTP1-1 providing t_1/2 values of 2.6 ± 0.1, 0.53 ± 0.02, and 0.3 ± 0.04 h, respectively, at pH 6.5.

4. The inhibition of various GST enzymes was also studied. Results show that M1 inhibits GSTM1-1 and GSTP1-1 to a greater extent as compared with GSTA1-1. In the case of GSTA1-1, the inhibition was observed to be reversible, whereas M1 inhibition of GSTM1-1 and GSTP1-1 was found to be irreversible under identical conditions.

5. GSTM1-1 is present in liver and thus the finding of the alkylation and potential irreversible inactivation of this isoform in vivo could contribute to an understanding of the hepatotoxicity associated with zileuton.

     

Polymorphisms of cytochrome P450 1A1, glutathione S-transferases M1 and T1 in a Turkish population

Intra-ethnic as well as inter-ethnic differences are known to exist in the frequencies of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1, glutathione S-transferase (GST) M1, and GSTT1 gene polymorphisms with which associations have been shown for several cancers. In this study, CYP1A1 m2, GSTM1, and GSTT1 gene polymorphisms were determined among 133 healthy individuals of a Turkish population. On the basis of polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR/RFLP) methodology, the frequency of CYP1A1 m2 mutation was determined. The multiplex PCR protocol was used to determine the frequency of the deleted genotypes of both GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes. The frequencies of Ile/Ile (wild type), Ile/Val (heterozygous variant), and Val/Val (homozygous variant) CYP1A1 m2 genotypes were 90.2%, 9.8%, and 0%, respectively. The frequencies of the deleted GSTM1 (null) and GSTT1 (null) genotypes were 51.9% and 17.3%, respectively. These results show that the frequencies of the CYP1A1 m2, GSTM1, and GSTT1 gene polymorphisms in a Turkish population are similar to Caucasian populations.     

Relationship between genotype and enzyme activity of glutathione S-transferases M1 and P1 in Chinese.

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are the major detoxifying Phase II enzyme for eliminating electrophilic compounds. Mutations in GSTM1, GSTP1 and GSTT1 in Caucasian and GSTA1 in Chinese have been found to reduce enzyme activity. However, data on the impact of common genetic polymorphisms of GSTM1 and GSTP1 on enzyme activity in Chinese is lacking. This study aimed to investigate the effect of common GSTP1 and GSTM1 polymorphisms on erythrocyte GST activity in healthy Chinese (n = 196). GSTM1 null mutation (GSTM1*0) was analyzed by a PCR-Multiplex procedure, whereas GSTP1 313A-->G polymorphism (resulting in Ile105Val at codon 105) was analyzed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Erythrocyte GST activity was measured using 1-chloro-2,4-dinitro-bezene (CDNB) as the model substrate. The frequency of GSTM1 null genotype was 54.3% and the frequency of GSTP1-Ile/Ile, -Ile/Val, and -Val/Val genotype was 60.7%, 35.2% and 4.1%, respectively, with a frequency of 21.7% for the 105 valine allele. Age, gender and smoking did not significantly affect the erythrocyte GST activities. The mean erythrocyte GST enzyme activity for GSTP1*-Ile/Val genotype group (3.53 +/- 0.63U/gHb) was significantly lower than that for subjects with GSTP1-Ile/Ile genotype (4.25 +/- 1.07U/gHb, P = 0.004), while subjects with the GSTP1-Val/Val genotype had the lowest enzyme activity (2.44 +/- 0.67U/gHb). In addition, the GST activity in carriers of GSTM1*0/GSTP1-Ile/Ile was significantly higher than that of subjects inherited GSTM1*0/GSTP1-Ile/Val or GSTM1*0/GSTP1-Val/Val. However, there is no association between GSTM1 null mutation and reduced enzyme activity. GSTP1 codon 105 mutation led to reduced erythrocyte GST activity in Chinese. A combined GSTP1 and GSTM1 null mutations also resulted in significantly reduced GST activity. Further studies are needed to explore the clinical implications of GSTM1 and GSTP1 polymorphisms.     

Regulatory functions of glutathione S-transferase P1-1 unrelated to detoxification

Glutathione S-transferase P1-1 (GSTP) is one member of the family of GSTs and is ubiquitously expressed in human tissues. The literature is replete with reports of high levels of GSTP linked either with cancer incidence or drug resistance, and yet no entirely cogent explanation for these correlations exists. The catalytic detoxification properties of the GST isozyme family have been a primary research focus for the last four decades. However, it has become apparent that they have undergone structural and functional convergence where evolutionary selective pressures have favored the emergence of noncatalytic properties of GSTP that has imbued this isozyme with expanded biological importance. For example, GSTP has now been linked with two cell-signaling functions that are critical to survival. Through protein:protein interactions, GSTP can sequester c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and act as a negative regulator of this stress kinase. Pharmacologically, this activity has been linked with the activity of GSTP inhibitors in stimulating myeloproliferation. In addition, GSTP is linked with the forward S-glutathionylation reaction, a post-translational modification that impacts the function/activity of a number of proteins. Catalytic reversal of S-glutathionylation is well characterized, but the role of GSTP in catalyzing the forward reaction contributes to the "glutathionylation cycle." Moreover, GSTP is itself susceptible to S-glutathionylation, providing an autoregulatory loop for the cycle. Because oxidative stress regulates both S-glutathionylation and JNK-signaling pathways, such links may help to explain the aberrant patterns of GSTP expression in the cancer phenotype. As such, there is an ongoing preclinical and clinical platform of drug discovery and development around GSTP.     

Effect of human glutathione S-transferase hGSTP1-1 polymorphism on the detoxification of reactive metabolites of clozapine,diclofenac and acetaminophen

Recent association studies suggest that genetically determined deficiencies in GSTs might be a risk factor for idiosyncratic adverse drug reactions resulting from the formation of reactive drug metabolites. hGSTP1-1 is polymorphic in the human population with a number of single nucleotide polymorphisms that yield an amino acid change in the encoded protein. Three allelic variants of hGSTP1-1 containing an Ile105Val or Ala114Val substitution, or a combination of both, have been the most widely studied and showed different activity when compared to wild-type hGSTP1-1*A (Ile105/Ala114). In the present study, we studied the ability of these allelic variants to catalyze the GSH conjugation of reactive metabolites of acetaminophen, clozapine, and diclofenac formed by bioactivation in in vitro incubations by human liver microsomes and drug metabolizing P450 BM3 mutants. The results show that effects of the change of amino acid at residue 105 and 114 on conjugation reactions were substrate dependent. A single substitution at residue 105 affects the ability to catalyze GSH conjugation, while when both residue 105 and 114 were substituted the effect was additionally enhanced. Single mutation at position 114 did not show a significant effect. The different hGSTP1-1 mutants showed slightly altered regioselectivities in formation of individual GSH conjugates of clozapine which suggests that the binding orientation of the reactive nitrenium ion of clozapine is affected by the mutations. For diclofenac, a significant decrease in activity in GSH-conjugation of diclofenac 1′,4′-quinone imine was observed for variants hGSTP1-1*B (Val105/Ala114) and hGSTP1-1*C (Val105/Val114). However, since the differences in total GSH conjugation activity catalyzed by these allelic variants were not higher than 30%, differences in inactivation of reactive intermediates by hGSTP1-1 are not likely to be a major factor in determining interindividual difference in susceptibility to adverse drug reactions induced by the drugs studied.     

Arylamine N-acetyltransferase type 2 and glutathione S-transferases M1 and T1 polymorphisms in familial adenomatous polyposis.

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) exhibits a variable phenotype even in carriers of the same adenomatous polyposis coli germline mutation. Xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes such as N-acetyltransferases (NATs) and glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) were reported to modify the individual risk for colorectal cancer. We examined whether the polymorphisms of the NAT2, GSTM1, and GSTT1 enzymes affect age at diagnosis of first colorectal adenomas or extracolonic manifestations in 411 FAP patients. Neither age at diagnosis of colorectal adenomas nor occurrence of extra-intestinal tumors differed significantly between genotypes at the NAT2 and GSTM1 loci, whereas GSTT1 polymorphism showed an uncertain association with extra-intestinal manifestations. Combinations of supposed at risk genotypes of the three enzymes showed no significant differences either. Thus, NAT2, GSTM1, or GSTT1 are unlikely to modify the disease phenotype in FAP patients.     

The glutathione S-transferases as a possible detoxification system of rat intestinal epithelium.

Because the glutathione S-transferases perform a detoxification function in liver and kidney, evidence for them was sought in the intestine, another major site of contact with xenobiotics. The range of activity with several different substrates was similar to that of liver: highest activity was observed with 1-chioro-2,4-dinitrobenzene. Antibodies prepared against homogeneous rat liver transfer-ases A, B, and E gave lines of identity with cytosol obtained from intestinal epithelial cells. With 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene as substrate a shallow gradient of increasing activity was observed from crypt to tip cells of jejunal epithelium. In cells at all stages of maturation, activity was increased in response to phenobarbital whereas alkaline phosphatase, thymidine kinase and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase were not induced. Activity was greatest in the duodenum and jejunum, and lowest in the colon and stomach. The data arc consistent with a detoxification role for the glutathione S-transferases in intestine.     

Role of P450 1A1 and P450 1A2 in bioactivation versus detoxication of the renal carcinogen aristolochic acid I: studies in Cyp1a1-/-, Cyp1a2-/-, and Cyp1a1/1a2-/- mice

Exposure to aristolochic acid I (AAI) is associated with aristolochic acid nephropathy, Balkan endemic nephropathy, and urothelial cancer. Individual differences in xenobiotic-metabolizing enzyme activities are likely to be a reason for interindividual susceptibility to AA-induced disease. We evaluated the reductive activation and oxidative detoxication of AAI by cytochrome P450 (P450) 1A1 and 1A2 using the Cyp1a1(-/-) and Cyp1a2(-/-) single-knockout and Cyp1a1/1a2(-/-) double-knockout mouse lines. Incubations with hepatic microsomes were also carried out in vitro. P450 1A1 and 1A2 were found to (i) activate AAI to form DNA adducts and (ii) detoxicate it to 8-hydroxyaristolochic acid I (AAIa). AAI-DNA adduct formation was significantly higher in all tissues of Cyp1a1/1a2(-/-) than Cyp1a(+/+) wild-type (WT) mice. AAI-DNA adduct levels were elevated only in selected tissues from Cyp1a1(-/-) versus Cyp1a2(-/-) mice, compared with those in WT mice. In hepatic microsomes, those from WT as well as Cyp1a1(-/-) and Cyp1a2(-/-) mice were able to detoxicate AAI to AAIa, whereas Cyp1a1/1a2(-/-) microsomes were less effective in catalyzing this reaction, confirming that both mouse P450 1A1 and 1A2 are both involved in AAI detoxication. Under hypoxic conditions, mouse P450 1A1 and 1A2 were capable of reducing AAI to form DNA adducts in hepatic microsomes; the major roles of P450 1A1 and 1A2 in AAI-DNA adduct formation were further confirmed using selective inhibitors. Our results suggest that, in addition to P450 1A1 and 1A2 expression levels in liver, in vivo oxygen concentration in specific tissues might affect the balance between AAI nitroreduction and demethylation, which in turn would influence tissue-specific toxicity or carcinogenicity.     

The influence of polymorphisms of glutathione S-transferases M1 and M3 on the development of human urothelial cancer

Cigarette smoking is the most important risk factor for development of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder. The effect of polymorphisms of glutathione S-transferases M1 (GSTM1) and M3 (GSTM3) on the influence of cigarette smoking on urinary bladder carcinogenesis was investigated. In total, 293 bladder cancer patients from hospitals in Dortmund and Wittenberg as well as 176 patients without any malignancy from a Department of Surgery from Dortmund were genotyped for GSTM1 and GSTM3 according to standard PCR/RFLP methods. Smoking habits were quantified by a standardized interview. The proportion of GSTM1 negative cases was 63% in the entire bladder cancer cases group compared to 50% in controls. The GSTM3*A/*A genotype was 76% in cancer cases versus 74% in controls. Smokers and ex-smokers were overrepresented in bladder cancer cases. A significant association between smoking status and GSTM1 or GSTM3 genotype was not detected. The elevated proportion of GSTM1 negative bladder cancer cases shows an effect of this polymorphic enzyme on development of bladder cancer. In contrast to other studies, an influence of GSTM1 on the risk due to cigarette smoking was not observed.     

Interactions between cytochromes P450, glutathione S-transferases and Ghanaian medicinal plants

Inhibition of cytochrome P450s (CYPs) is a major cause of adverse drug-drug interactions. Alternatively, inhibition of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) may increase harmful effects of electrophilic compounds or metabolites. In the present study, aqueous extracts of seven Ghanaian medicinal plants were investigated for their inhibitory potential towards recombinant human CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4, heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. Effects of these extracts on recombinant human GSTA1-1, GSTM1-1, GSTP1-1, human and rat cytosolic GSTs were also investigated. Seven extracts, including Phyllanthus amarus whole plant, leaf, stem and root, Cassia siamea and Momordica charantia, inhibited CYP1A2 and CYP2C9 with IC50 values ranging between 28.3-134.3microg/ml and between 63.4-425.9microg/ml, respectively. Similarly, both CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 were inhibited by five extracts including Phyllanthus amarus whole plant, leaf, stem and root and Cassia alata, with IC50 values ranging between 45.8-182.0microg/ml and between 79.2-158.8microg/ml respectively. Human and rat liver cytosolic GSTs were inhibited with IC50 values ranging between 25.2-95.5microg/ml and between 8.5-139.4microg/ml, respectively. GSTM1-1 was most susceptible to the inhibition by the extracts, with IC50 values ranging between 3.6-50.0microg/ml, whilst IC50 values of 8.9-159.0microg/ml and 68.6-157.0microg/ml were obtained for GSTA1-1 and GSTP1-1, respectively. These findings show a significant potential both for CYP- and GST-mediated herb-drug interactions of the Ghanaian medicinal plants investigated.     

The chemistry, toxicology, and identification in rat and human urine of 4-hydroxy-5-phenyl-1,3-oxazaperhydroin-2-one: a reactive metabolite in felbamate bioactivation

4-Hydroxy-5-phenyl-1,3-oxazaperhydroin-2-one has been proposed to be a reactive metabolite of the anti-epileptic drug felbamate [Thompson et al. (1996) Chem. Res. Toxicol. 9, 1225-1229]. 4-Hydroxy-5-phenyl-1,3-oxazaperhydroin-2-one exists in equilibrium with 3-oxo-2-phenylpropyl aminooate, which is known to eliminate to generate 2-phenylpropenal. Thus, this species is postulated to be a latent form of the ultimate reactive metabolite, 2-phenylpropenal. The chemistry of 4-hydroxy-5-phenyl-1,3-oxazaperhydroin-2-one is proposed to parallel that of 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide, the bioactivated form of cyclophosphamide that undergoes ring-opening to aldophosphamide and subsequent elimination to afford 2-propenal (acrolein). The work presented here reports the chemical synthesis of 4-hydroxy-5-phenyl-1,3-oxazaperhydroin-2-one and demonstrates that under buffered conditions it exists in equilibrium with 3-oxo-2-phenylpropyl aminooate. The rate-limiting step in the decomposition of 4-hydroxy-5-phenyl-1,3-oxazaperhydroin-2-one is the irreversible beta-elimination from 3-oxo-2-phenylpropyl aminooate to 2-phenylpropenal. We have found the half-life of 4-hydroxy-5-phenyl-1,3-oxazaperhydroin-2-one to be 4.6 +/- 0.4 h under in vitro conditions that mimic the physiological setting. As a consequence of the relatively long half-life of 4-hydroxy-5-phenyl-1,3-oxazaperhydroin-2-one, we have sought evidence for the significance of this pathway in experimental and clinical conditions. We report here the observation of this metabolite in the urine of rats being treated with 3-hydroxy-2-phenylpropyl aminooate, the esterase-mediated metabolite of felbamate, and in the urine of patients undergoing felbamate therapy. In addition, we have shown that 4-hydroxy-5-phenyl-1,3-oxazaperhydroin-2-one is toxic to cultured cells in a time-dependent manner, most likely as a result of its decomposition to 2-phenylpropenal. Taken together, the data support the hypothesis that 4-hydroxy-5-phenyl-1,3-oxazaperhydroin-2-one represents a "time-release" form of 2-phenylpropenal capable of traveling to distal sites from its locus of bioactivation and thereby mediates felbamate associated toxicities.     

Altered ontogeny of glutathione S-transferases by 2,4,5-2',4',5'-hexachlorobiphenyl.

Date-bred rats were treated orally from the 8th through the 18th day of gestation with pure congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). At designated stages of postnatal development offspring of treated dams were sacrificed and glutathione S-transferase (G S-t) activity levels were determined using the substrates 1-chloro-2, 4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) and 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene (DCNB). Male and female rats exposed perinatally to 2,4,5-2′,4′,5′-hexachlorobiphenyl (6-CB) had higher levels of G S-t than the controls at all ages examined (Days 6, 21, 55 postpartum). Treatment of adult male rats with increasing doses of 6-CB revealed that glutathione conjugation toward CDNB could be more easily enhanced than toward DCNB. Pure 6-CB added to control cytosol did not change G S-t activities. Mixtures of cytosol from 21-day-old control and 6-CB animals had activities similar to the calculated mean average of the two.     

Polymorphisms of glutathione S-transferases M1 and T1 do not account for interindividual differences for smoking behavior

To identify whether the polymorphisms of glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) and GSTT1 genes predict a high-tended risk of using tobacco, the GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotypes of 369 Iranian males (254 nonsmokers and 115 smokers) and 314 Iranian females (245 nonsmokers and 69 smokers) were determined. The frequencies of GSTM1 (males: OR=0.98, 95% CI=0.62-1.57, P=.974; females: OR=1.34, 95% CI=0.75-2.39, P=.358) and GSTT1 (males: OR=1.25, 95% CI=0.76-2.04, P=.412; females: OR=0.84, 95% CI=0.46-1.51, P=.626) null genotypes were similar in nonsmokers and smokers. The risk of being a smoker was to be equally frequent in each combination of the genotypes. The present results revealed that there was no difference between smokers and nonsmokers for these two genetic polymorphisms.     

Role of cytochrome P450 1A2 in bilirubin degradation Studies in Cyp1a2 (-/-) mutant mice

In congenital jaundice, which is due to defects of bilirubin gluruconidation, bilirubin is degraded by an alternative pathway into unidentified products. Previously, it was shown that plasma bilirubin levels can be decreased in rats with this defect by inducers of CYP1A enzymes. Here, liver microsomes from rats or mice treated with beta-naphthoflavone (BNF) or 3-methylcholanthrene (3 MC) had increased activity for bilirubin degradation. The activity was further stimulated by addition of the coplanar molecule 3,4,3',4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (TCB). There was more stimulation of bilirubin degradation by TCB in microsomes from BNF-treated rats than in microsomes from BNF-treated mice. CYP1A1 to CYP1A2 ratios were greater in rats treated with BNF. In Cyp1a2 (-/-) mutant mice, 3-MC treatment did not increase the rate of bilirubin degradation, but TCB increased this degradation severalfold. Between SWR and C57BL/6 inbred mouse strains that have a 2-fold difference in hepatic constitutive CYP1A2 levels, there was also a 2-fold difference in bilirubin degradation; TCB did not stimulate in either strain. We conclude that CYP1A2 is responsible for microsomal bilirubin degradation in the absence of TCB. TCB was required for bilirubin degradation by CYP1A1. Manipulation of CYP1A2 may be of therapeutic benefit in patients with these diseases of bilirubin conjugation.     

Identification of S-(n-butylcarbamoyl)glutathione, a reactive carbamoylating metabolite of tolbutamide in the rat, and evaluation of its inhibitory effects on glutathione reductase in vitro

Tolbutamide (TOLB), a widely used hypoglycemic agent in the therapy of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, has been reported to be teratogenic and/or embryotoxic in several animal species and humans. It has been proposed that the teratogenic effects of TOLB are linked to drug-mediated depletion of glutathione (GSH) through inhibition of the enzyme glutathione reductase (GR), although the mechanism by which this inhibition occurs remains unknown. In the study presented here, rats were injected with TOLB (200 mg/kg ip), and bile was collected for analysis by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). This led to the identification of S-(n-butylcarbamoyl)glutathione (SBuG), a reactive GSH conjugate derived from n-butyl isocyanate, as a minor metabolite of TOLB in bile. Upon incubation of SBuG (0.25-1.0 mM) with GR from either yeast or bovine intestinal mucosa in the presence of NADPH (0.20 mM), enzyme activity was lost in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. No inhibition was observed when NADPH was omitted from incubations, or when the natural substrate for the enzyme, glutathione disulfide (GSSG, 0.05 mM), was added. TOLB itself did not inhibit GR over the concentration range of 0.8-2.0 mM. It is concluded that metabolic activation of TOLB in vivo leads to the generation of reactive intermediates (n-butyl isocyanate and SBuG) which carbamoylate and thereby inhibit GR. At critical periods of organogenesis, the resulting perturbation of GSH homeostasis in exposed tissues may play a key role in the teratogenic and/or embryotoxic effects of TOLB.     

Reconstitution of the interplay between cytochrome P450 and human glutathione S-transferases in clozapine metabolism in yeast

Clozapine, an often-prescribed antipsychotic drug, is implicated in severe adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Formation of reactive intermediates by cytochrome P450s (CYPs) has been proposed as a possible explanation for these ADRs. Moreover, a protective role for human glutathione S-transferases (hGSTs) was recently shown using purified enzymes. We investigated the interplay between CYP bioactivation and GST detoxification in a reconstituted cellular context using recombinant yeast expressing a bacterial CYP BM3 mutant (M11), mimicking the drug-metabolizing potential of human CYPs, combined with hGSTA1-1, M1-1 or P1-1. Clozapine and the N-desmethylclozapine metabolite caused comparable growth inhibition and reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, whereas the clozapine-N-oxide metabolite was clearly less toxic. Clozapine metabolism by BM3 M11 and the hGSTs in yeast was confirmed by identification of stable clozapine metabolites and hGST isoform-specific glutathione-conjugates. Oxidative metabolism of clozapine by BM3 M11 increased ROS formation and growth inhibition. Co-expression of hGSTP1-1 protected yeast from BM3 M11 induced growth inhibition in presence of clozapine, whereas similar expression levels of hGSTA1-1 and hGSTM1-1 did not. ROS formation was not lowered by hGSTP1-1 co-expression and was unrelated to mitochondrial electron transport chain (mETC) activity. We present a novel cellular model to study the effect of CYP and GST interplay in drug toxicity.     

Relevance of the deletion polymorphisms of the glutathione S-transferases GSTT1 and GSTM1 in pharmacology and toxicology

Although cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzymes occupy a key position in biological detoxification processes, two of the most relevant human isoenzymes, GSTT1-1 and GSTM1-1, are genetically deleted (non-functional alleles GSTT1*0 and GSTM1*0) in a high percentage of the human population, with major ethnic differences. The structures of the GSTT and GSTM gene areas explain the underlying genetic processes. GSTT1-1 is highly conserved during evolution and plays a major role in phase-II biotransformation of a number of drugs and industrial chemicals, e.g. cytostatic drugs, hydrocarbons and halogenated hydrocarbons. GSTM1-1 is particularly relevant in the deactivation of carcinogenic intermediates of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Several lines of evidence suggest that hGSTT1-1 and/or hGSTM1-1 play a role in the deactivation of reactive oxygen species that are likely to be involved in cellular processes of inflammation, ageing and degenerative diseases. There is cumulating evidence that combinations of the GSTM1*0 state with other genetic traits affecting the metabolism of carcinogens (CYP1A1, GSTP1) may predispose the aero-digestive tract and lung, especially in smokers, to a higher risk of cancer. The GSTM1*0 status appears also associated with a modest increase in the risk of bladder cancer, consistent with a GSTM1 interaction with carcinogenic tobacco smoke constituents. Both human GST deletions, although largely counterbalanced by overlapping substrate affinities within the GST superfamily, have consequences when the organism comes into contact with distinct man-made chemicals. This appears relevant in industrial toxicology and in drug metabolism.     

Relationship between glutathione S-transferase M1, P1 and T1 polymorphisms and early onset prostate cancer.

There is evidence suggesting that polymorphic variations in the glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are associated with cancer susceptibility. Inter-individual differences in cancer susceptibility may be mediated in part through polymorphic variability in the bioactivation and detoxification of carcinogens. The GSTs have been consistently implicated as cancer susceptibility genes in this context. The GST supergene family includes several loci with well characterized polymorphisms. Approximately 50% of the Caucasian population are homozygous for deletions in GSTM1 and approximately 20% are homozygous for deletions in GSTT1, resulting in conjugation deficiency of mutagenic electrophiles to glutathione. The GSTP1 gene has a polymorphism at codon 105 resulting in an Ile to Val substitution which consequently alters the enzymatic activity of the protein and this has been suggested as a putative high-risk genotype in various cancers. We investigated the relationship between GST polymorphisms and young onset prostate cancer in a case-control study. GSTM1, GSTT1 and GSTP1 genotypes were determined for 275 prostate cancer patients and for 280 geographically matched control subjects. We found no significant difference in the frequency of GSTM1 or GSTT1 null genotypes between cases and controls. GSTP1 genotype was, however, significantly associated with prostate cancer risk: the Ile/Ile homozygotes had the lowest risk and there was a trend in increasing the risk with the number of 105 Val alleles: Ile/Val odds ratio (OR)= 1.30 (95% FCI 0.99-1.69), Val/Val OR = 1.80 (95% FCI 1.11-2.91); Ptrend = 0.026. These results suggest that the GSTP1 polymorphism may be a risk factor for developing young onset prostate cancer. We also found that carrying more than one putative high-risk allele in the carcinogen metabolizing GST family was associated with an elevated risk for early onset prostate cancer (OR 2.48, 95% FCI 1.22-5.04, Ptrend = 0.017).