Abstract

Human cytochrome P450 (P450) CYP2B6 undergoes nitric oxide (NO)-dependent proteasomal degradation in response to the NO donor dipropylenetriamine NONOate (DPTA) and biological NO in HeLa and HuH7 cell lines. CYP2B6 is also down-regulated by NO in primary human hepatocytes. We hypothesized that NO or derivative reactive nitrogen species may generate adducts of tyrosine and/or cysteine residues, causing CYP2B6 down-regulation, and selected Tyr and Cys residues for mutation based on predicted solvent accessibility. CYP2B6V5-Y317A, -Y380A and -Y190A mutant proteins expressed in HuH7 cells were less sensitive than wild-type (WT) enzyme to degradation evoked by DPTA, suggesting that these tyrosines are targets for NO-dependent down-regulation. The Y317A or Y380A mutants did not show increases in high molecular mass (HMM) species after treatment with DPTA or bortezomib + DPTA, in contrast to the WT enzyme. Carbon monoxide releasing molecule 2 (CORM2) treatment caused rapid suppression of 2B6 enzyme activity, significant HMM species generation and ubiquitination of CYP2B6 protein, but did not stimulate CYP2B6 degradation. The CYP2B6 inhibitor 4-(4-chlorophenyl)imidazole (4CPI) blocked NO-dependent CYP2B6 degradation, suggesting that NO access to the active site is important. Molecular dynamics simulations predicted that tyrosine nitrations of CYP2B6 would cause significant destabilizing perturbations of secondary structure and remove correlated motions likely required for enzyme function. We propose that cumulative nitrations of Y190, Y317 and Y380 by reactive nitrogen species cause destabilization of CYP2B6, which may act synergistically with heme nitrosylation to target the enzyme for degradation.

Significance Statement This work provides novel insight into the mechanisms by which nitric oxide, produced in hepatocytes in response to inflammation, triggers the ubiquitin-dependent proteasomal degradation of the cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP2B6. Our data demonstrate that both nitration of specific tyrosine residues and interaction of NO with the P450 heme are necessary for NO to trigger ubiquitination and protein degradation.