Isoforms overlapping substrate specificities

At least six isoforms of cytochrome P450 are present in the endoplasmic reticulum of human hver, each with wide and somewhat overlapping substrate specificities and acting on both xenobiotics and endogenous compounds. The genes for many isoforms of P450 (from both humans and animals such as the rat) have been isolated and smdied in detail in recent years. 

The most important enzyme involved in bio transformation is cytochrome P-450, which catalyzes many phase 1 reactions. This enzyme is located primarily in the SER (microsomal fraction) of the cell and is especially abundant in liver cells. Cytochrome P-450 primarily catalyzes oxidation reactions and consists of many isoforms (isozymes). These isoenzymes have overlapping substrate specificities. The most important subfamily in humans is CYP3A4, although there is considerable variation in CYP3A4 expression between individuals. 

As their name implies, the A-acetyltransferase (NAT) enzymes catalyze to a drug molecule the conjugation of an acetyl moiety derived from acetyl coenzyme A. Examples of this type of reaction are depicted in Figure 4.1. The net result of this conjugation is an increase in water solubility and increased elimination of the compound. The NATs identified to date and involved in human drug metabolism include NAT-1 and NAT-2. Little overlap in substrate specificities of the two isoforms appears to exist. NAT-2 is a polymorphic enzyme, a... 

---