Cytochrome P450 (P450) 2D6
was first identified as the polymorphic human debrisoquinehydroxylase and subsequently sho
wn to catalyze the oxidation of a variety of drugs containing a basicnitrogen. Residue Asp301 has been characterized as being involved in electrostatic interactions
withsubstrates on the basis of homology modeling and site-directed mutagenesis experiments [Ellis, S. W.,Hayhurst, G. P., Smith, G., Lightfoot, T., Wong, M. M. S., Simula, A. P., Ackland, M. J., Sternberg, M.J. E., Lennard, M. S.,
Tucker, G. T., and Wolf, C. R. (1995)
J. Biol. Chem. 270, 29055-29058]. Ho
wever,pharmacophore models based on the role of Asp301 in substrate binding are compromised by reports ofcatalytic activity to
ward substrates devoid of a basic nitrogen,
which have generally been ignored. Wecharacterized a high-affinity ligand for P450 2D6, also devoid of a basic nitrogen atom, spirosulfonamide[4-[3-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-oxo-1-oxaspiro[4.4]non-3-en-4-yl]benzenesulfonamide],
with
Ks 1.6
M. Spirosulfonamide is a substrate for P450 2D6 (
kcat 6.5 min
-1 for the formation of a
syn spiromethylene carbinol,
Km 7
M). Mutation of Asp301 to neutral residues (Asn, Ser, Gly) did not substantially affect the bindingof spirosulfonamide (
Ks 2.5-3.5
M). Ho
wever, the hydroxylation of spirosulfonamide
was attenuatedin these mutants to the same extent (90%) as for the classic nitrogenous substrate bufuralol, and the effectof the D301N substitution
was manifested on
kcat but not
Km. Analogues of spirosulfonamide
were alsoevaluated as ligands and substrates. Analogues in
which the sulfonamide moiety
was modified to anamide, thioamide, methyl sulfone, or hydrogen
were ligands
with
Ks values of 1.7-32
M. All
weresubstrates, and the methyl sulfone analogue
was oxidized to the
syn spiromethylene carbinol analogue ofthe major spirosulfonamide product. The D301N mutation produced varying changes in the oxidationpatterns of the spirosulfonamide analogues. The peptidometic ritonavir and the steroids progesterone andtestosterone had been reported to be substrates for P450 2D6, but the affinities (
Ks)
were unkno
wn; these
were estimated to be 1.2, 1.5, and 15
M, respectively (cf. 6
M for the classic substrate bufuralol). Theresults are consistent
with a role of Asp301 other than electrostatic interaction
with a positively chargedligand. H-Bonding or electrostatic interactions probably enhance binding of some substrates, but our resultssho
w that it is not required for all substrates and explain
why predictive models fail to recognize theproclivity for many substrates, especially those containing no basic nitrogen.