|
|
||||||||
Review |
Departments of
1
Pathology and
2
Biochemistry, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40292.
a Address correspondence to this author at: Department of Pathology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292. Fax 502-852-1771; e-mail ROVALDO1{at}ULKYVM.Louisville.edu
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Key Words: indexing terms: cytochrome P-450 drug metabolism human genetics outcomes research preventive medicine therapeutic drug monitoring tricyclic antidepressants
| Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Some relevant questions concerning the clinical application of genotyping/phenotyping data as it applies to the clinical laboratory and to the clinical practitioner are: When is genotyping clinically indicated? What are the advantages of adding genotyping to therapeutic drug monitoring in assessing the clinical status of the patient? How is genotyping information most efficiently applied to dosage adjustments and (or) choice of therapeutic? Do these strategies provide cost-effective healthcare paradigms?
In this review we describe the biochemical evidence linking observed genetic mutations with altered drug metabolism. We also provide a list of drugs for which metabolism is affected by genetics and recommend genotyping strategies that are most readily integrated into a clinical laboratory environment. The rationale behind this approach is that genotyping/phenotyping will lead to increased therapeutic efficiency, improved patient outcomes, and thus more cost-effective medicine.
| enzymes involved in drug metabolism |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
| cytochrome p-450 superfamily of heme thiolate proteins |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
| phenotyping vs genotyping |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
Genotyping involves identification of defined genetic mutations that give rise to the specific drug metabolism phenotype. These mutations include genetic alterations that lead to overexpression (gene duplication), absence of an active protein product (null allele), or production of a mutant protein with diminished catalytic capacity (inactivating allele). One method that has proven useful in screening for genetic mutations associated with altered metabolism of drugs and (or) cancer susceptibility (9)(10) is amplification of a specific region of the gene of interest by PCR followed by digestion of the amplified DNA product with restriction endonucleases. Restriction endonucleases have the capacity to digest DNA with a high degree of nucleotide sequence specificity. Thus, point mutations within the recognition sequence of a specific restriction endonuclease may be detected through determining whether the DNA of interest serves as a substrate for that endonuclease. These studies are routinely carried out by comparing the size of digestion products generated from a DNA substrate amplified from control subject DNA vs study subject DNAs. Differences in the size of DNA fragments generated as a result of endonuclease digestion is commonly referred to as a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) (11)(12)(13). The size of the digestion products are easily evaluated by agarose gel electrophoresis with ethidium bromide staining and UV transillumination.
A second approach for detection of specific mutations within a gene of interest is through allele-specific PCR amplification where oligonucleotides specific for hybridizing with the common or variant alleles are utilized in parallel amplification reactions. Only the oligonucleotide that precisely hybridizes to the target sequences produces an amplification product. Analysis for the presence or absence of the appropriate amplified product is also accomplished by agarose gel electrophoresis. The best example of this approach is the identification of the A and B variants of CYP2D6 (14), which is described in more detail later in this article. These genotyping methods require small amounts of blood or tissue (15), are not affected by underlying disease or by drugs taken by the patient, and provide results within 4872 h, allowing for rapid intervention.
| CYP Enzymes |
|---|
|
|
|---|
cyp2d6
CYP2D6 is by far the best characterized P-450 enzyme that
demonstrates polymorphic expression in humans. The earliest evidence of
polymorphic expression was identified during clinical trials of the
antihypertensive drug debrisoquin (1). Since then,
debrisoquin hydroxylase activity has been the standard for phenotypic
analysis of this polymorphism in clinical studies and has revealed
individuals of the EM, PM, and UEM phenotypes. Several additional drugs
have been identified for use in phenotyping studies, including
sparteine and dextromethorphan, and more recently propafenone (Table 3
)
(16) .
Clinical significance of the CYP2D6 genetic
polymorphism.
The clinical significance of this drug metabolism
polymorphism has been the subject of numerous clinical studies over the
past decade (2)(14)(17)(18)(19).
Brosen and Gram (19) suggest that clinical significance
can be evaluated by asking the following questions: Does the kinetics
of active principle of a drug depend significantly on a specific
enzyme? Is the resulting pharmacokinetic variability of any clinical
importance? Can the variation in response be assessed by direct
clinical or paraclinical measurements? On the basis of these criteria,
significance exists for those drugs for which plasma concentration
measurements are considered useful and for which the elimination of the
drug and (or) its active metabolite is mainly determined by an enzyme
(e.g., CYP2D6) whose polymorphic expression has been characterized. On
the basis of the above criteria, frequency of use, and a narrow
therapeutic index, Brosen and Gram concluded that the polymorphism of
CYP2D6 was of clinical significance for tricyclic antidepressants,
certain neuroleptics, and antiarrhythmics (20).
Table 4
lists clinically important CYP2D6 substrates, and use of these
drugs may form a basis for requirement of pharmacogenetic analysis.
|
Examples involving tricyclic antidepressants and cardiac
antiarrhythmics.
The N-demethylation of imipramine and most likely
amitriptyline to their respective pharmacologically active desmethyl
metabolites, desipramine and nortriptyline, is catalyzed primarily by
CYP2C19 (21)(22) and CYP1A2
(5), whereas the 2-hydroxylation of desipramine and
nortriptyline, which results in pharmacologically inactive metabolites,
is catalyzed by CYP2D6 (20). The polymorphic nature of the
CYP2D6-dependent 2-hydroxylation is evident in the wide range
(Table 5
) of elimination half-lives of the desmethyl metabolites vs the
elimination half-lives of the parent drugs, which reflects the sum of
the N-demethylation and 2-hydroxylation processes (23).
For tricyclic antidepressants, both the PM and UEM phenotypes of CYP2D6
are at risk of adverse reactions. PM individuals given standard doses
of these drugs will develop toxic plasma concentrations, potentially
leading to unpleasant side effects including dry mouth, hypotension,
sedation, and tremor, or in some cases life-threatening cardiotoxicity
(24). Table 6
demonstrates the relative concentrations of imipramine and its
active metabolite desipramine in EM vs PM subjects treated with
identical dosing regimens of imipramine. Note that the absolute
concentrations of both the parent drug (imipramine) as well as the
desmethyl metabolite (desipramine) are greater in PM individuals and
that because of the accumulation of the desmethyl metabolite, the ratio
of parent drug to metabolite is much lower in PM individuals.
Administration of CYP2D6 substrates to UEM individuals may result in
therapeutic failure because plasma concentrations of active drug at
standard doses are far too low (24). Although these
patients may be successfully treated with higher concentrations of
these drugs, metabolites from alternate metabolic pathways may
accumulate and contribute to toxicity (25). The clinical
presentation of UEM and PM patients are at times similar, leading to
confusion in understanding the basis for the adverse drug reaction.
Because of lack of dose individualization, patients are subject to
recurrent depressive episodes and may not respond to treatment
(24)(26). Although the relation between dose
and therapeutic response may be addressed through traditional
therapeutic drug monitoring, prior knowledge of the drug metabolism
potential, through genotyping techniques, could predict the outcome and
allow for appropriate dosage adjustments to prevent the initial adverse
event from occurring (27)(28)(29)(30). Patients requiring
treatment with antidepressant or antipsychotic substrates of CYP2D6 may
begin the normal treatment regimen. Because of the long half-life of
these drugs, toxic concentrations may take 5 to 7 weeks to develop
(31). Likewise, patients requiring antiarrhythmics could
not await the results of genotyping but may be initiated on the
treatment regimen while genotyping results are pending, and adjustments
in dosing or therapeutic selection may be made once the data are
available. In this case, knowledge of the CYP2D6 genotype would assist
in anticipation of toxic effects or in the appropriate selection of an
alternative therapeutic on the basis of knowledge of the metabolism of
the alternative drug. Thus, there appears to be ample time to evaluate
the genotype of the patient and apply the information to dose
adjustments or change in therapeutic to a drug that is not a substrate
for CYP2D6 before the onset of adverse symptoms.
|
|
Biochemical basis for genetically determined CYP2D6
phenotypes.
After identification of CYP2D6 as the gene
responsible for expression of debrisoquine hydroxylase, methods became
available for analyzing specific mutations of this gene associated with
the PM and UEM phenotypes with respect to debrisoquin. The
CYP2D6 gene resides in the CYP2D6-8 cluster on chromosome 22
in association with the CYP2D7P and CYP2D8Ppseudogenes (32)(33).
Fig. 1
shows the structure of the CYP2D6-8 gene cluster and
its most common polymorphic haplotypes evaluated by digestion of
genomic DNA with the restriction endonuclease XbaI. A 29-kb
XbaI fragment indicates the presence of the normal locus
with two pseudogenes CYP2D7P and CYP2D8P and one
copy of the CYP2D6 gene (18). The 42- and 44-kb
alleles involve gene duplications of either an active gene (42 kb) or
inactive gene (44 kb), and the 11.5-kb XbaI fragment
indicates deletion of the CYP2D6 gene (26). The
first evidence of genetic polymorphism of the CYP2D6 gene
was observation of homozygous CYP2D6 gene deletion (CYP2D6D
allele) by Southern transfer in individuals demonstrating the PM
phenotype for debrisoquine hydroxylase
(19)(34).
|
Subsequent to identification of the CYP2D6D allele, studies were
initiated to correlate the presence of the CYP2D6D allele with the PM
phenotype. Although these studies were successful in correlating the
CYP2D6D genotype with the PM phenotype, they also revealed individuals
with the PM phenotype who were apparently homozygous for the wild-type
(wt) allele. Thus there remained one or more unidentified mutations in
the CYP2D6 gene that gave rise to the PM phenotype. Several
CYP2D6 null and inactivating alleles have since been identified. These
allele designations, biochemical alterations, and incidence of
occurrence are listed in Table 7
. To date, a total of six null alleles, A, B, D, E, F, and T,
and an additional two variants that encode protein products with
decreased catalytic activity (CYP2D6C and J) have been characterized.
|
The UEM phenotype results from duplication or amplification of a unique
CYP2D6L allele on chromosome 22. The most common gene duplication
results in two copies of the CYP2D6L gene on one chromosome
(CYP2D6L2) (Fig. 1
, 42-kb XbaI
fragment) (35). However, a 12-fold amplification of this
gene has been observed (21). The gene product apparently
has similar catalytic activity to the wt enzyme, and thus increased
activity in individuals with this allele is directly related to gene
dose. Refer to Agundez et al. (36) for an elegant
demonstration of this gene dose effect. This unique allele has only
been identified in the heterozygous state and results in overexpression
of CYP2D6 enzyme. This overexpression has a dramatic effect on the
metabolism and elimination of CYP2D6 substrates and may lead to
subtherapeutic serum concentrations of parent drug at standard doses
(37)(38). Therefore, subjects of the UEM
phenotype may require megadoses of certain drugs (particularly those
drugs metabolized to inactive compounds) to obtain therapeutic efficacy
(23).
Prevalence of CYP2D6 phenotypes and associated
genotypes.
There are significant interethnic differences in the
prevalence of the PM phenotype of debrisoquine hydroxylase. For
example, in North American and European Caucasian populations, the
prevalence of the PM phenotype is 510% (39)(40)(41). In
contrast, the prevalence is 1.8% in American blacks (42),
1.2% in native Thai (43), 1.0% in Chinese
(44), 2.1% in a native Malay population
(45), and apparently absent in the Japanese population
(46). In the Caucasian population, the PM phenotype is the
consequence of various mutant CYP2D6 genotypes. Table 8
lists the frequency of the various CYP2D6 genotypes and their
associated phenotypes in Caucasian individuals. Thirty-five percent of
Caucasians are heterozygous for an inactivating mutant CYP2D6 allele
and thus may demonstrate an intermediate phenotype. The prevalence of
the UEM phenotype in Caucasians is 7%, and is the result of the
CYP2D6L2 allele in >95% of cases (20). This
phenotypic group has been relatively ignored by the literature.
However, the clinical consequence of the UEM phenotype may be as
significant as PM phenotype in terms of therapeutic efficacy with
respect to certain therapeutics, including the tricyclic
antidepressants.
|
Methods for determining CYP2D6 genotypes.
The
CYP2D6 gene deletion can only be detected through RFLP
analysis of genomic DNA and Southern transfer by using a cDNA probe.
Digestion of genomic DNA with the restriction endonuclease
XbaI followed by Southern transfer yields either a
29-kb
fragment in subjects without the deletion or an 11.5-kb fragment in
individuals with the CYP2D6D allele (Fig. 1
). The labor
intensity of this approach makes this method much less attractive to
clinical application compared with PCR-based methods. The most common
null allele is CYP2D6B, representing 29% of all CYP2D6 alleles and
70% of the null CYP2D6 alleles. The second most common null allele is
the D allele, followed by the A allele, representing 12% and 3% of
all CYP2D6 alleles respectively. Analysis of the A and B variants is
typically carried out with an allele-specific amplification method
developed by Heim and Meyer (14), which includes an
initial amplification strategy to specifically amplify a region of the
CYP2D6 gene, followed by allele-specific amplification to
identify the A and B mutant alleles. The second step of this approach
has recently been automated on the basis of ligase chain reaction
technology (47), which should advance efforts to reduce
the time and expense associated with testing. Studies that have
utilized this method to prospectively identify poor metabolizers have
demonstrated 95% sensitivity and 100% specificity, and the phenotype
of 99% of randomly selected subjects can be determined by this
genotyping strategy
(12)(48)(49). Recently,
a more rapid method has been developed by Douglas et al. that allows
for the simultaneous evaluation of both A and B variants with a single
amplification step and restriction digest (50). A
limitation of this approach is that it requires careful interpretation
of the restriction digestion patterns. A model of the diagnostic
sensitivity of the various genotyping approaches for prediction of
phenotype is demonstrated in Table 9
(25). It is important to recognize that the UEM
phenotype or genotype was not taken into consideration in this model.
From these data, it is evident that for clinical purposes of
identifying phenotypically PM individuals, analysis of the A and B
variants will predict the PM phenotype with >95% accuracy and the EM
phenotype with >99% accuracy (40)(41). It is
therefore highly likely that these analyses could significantly affect
the riskbenefit ratio and increase the therapeutic efficacy of drugs
that are substrates for CYP2D6. When analysis of the A and B variants
fail to corroborate the apparent phenotype, analysis for the
CYP2D6D gene deletion would be the next logical step. The
complete absence of an amplification product during the analysis of the
A and B variants would lend support for confirming the gene deletion by
Southern transfer. However, in the event the A and B analysis yields
the apparently wt PCR product, the best approach may be to pursue
characterization of the other null or inactivating alleles for which
PCR methods are available (Table 7
). On the basis of the
prevalence of the various mutations, analysis of the T allele may be of
considerable value (51).
|
The CYP2D6 gene duplication may be detected by observation
of a 42-kb fragment in the XbaI RFLP analysis of genomic DNA
(Fig. 1
) (21). An allele-specific PCR method has been
developed and remains to be validated as a screening tool for diagnosis
of the UEM phenotype (23).
Interpretation of genotyping data.
Interpretation of the
PCR-based analysis of CYP2D6 genotype requires the laboratorian to be
aware that individuals homozygous for the gene deletion will not yield
a PCR product in standard assays for the various mutations.
Homozygosity for the gene deletion is rare and accounts for <4% of
PMs (0.4% of the total population) (25). Heterozygotes
for the gene deletion may appear to be homozygous for the wt allele. On
the basis of the metabolic criteria for phenotype assignment,
individuals heterozygous for the gene deletion are categorized as EM
and thus there is concordance between the observed genotype with
phenotype assignment. Individuals heterozygous for the gene deletion
and one of the other inactivating alleles will be correctly classified
as PM. However, the true genotype can be proven only through the
Southern transfer approach. For clinical purposes this is not
necessary, but Southern transfer must be carried out in all population
studies designed to characterize allele frequencies.
Clinical significance of heterozygosity for an inactivating
or null allele.
In the early process of correlating genetic
mutations with metabolic phenotype, the phenotyping methods did not
discriminate homozygous vs heterozygous genotypes. As a result, it has
been accepted that these mutations are recessive and that only
homozygotes for the mutant allele will demonstrate altered
pharmacokinetics for a given drug substrate, and individuals genotyped
as heterozygotes are empirically classified as EMs. This concept has
been challenged (46)(52) and may
await more sensitive techniques to identify phenotypic differences in
drug metabolism between the homozygous common and heterozygous mutant
genotypes. The clinical consequence of the heterozygous genotype
remains to be determined. As demonstrated in Fig. 2
, the metabolic ratios of heterozygous individuals with respect
to the test drug debrisoquin approaches that of the homozygous mutant
individuals. The difference in metabolic ratios indicates that the
relative concentrations of parent drug in the homozygous vs
heterozygous individuals may differ by more than fivefold. Therefore,
higher plasma concentrations of CYP2D6 substrates may be expected in
heterozygous individuals. Considering that 35% of individuals may be
of the heterozygous genotype (Table 8
), this fact may have
significant bearing on the frequency of unpleasant side effects of
CYP2D6 substrates. The relative concentrations of therapeutic
substrates in homozygous vs heterozygous individuals at a fixed dose
has not been determined in a study designed to accurately detect all of
the mutant CYP2D6 alleles. In a recent study evaluating schizophrenic
patients treated with neuroleptics, there was a statistically
significant correlation between the debrisoquin MR in CYP2D6
heterozygotes and the severity of extrapyramidal side effects during
neuroleptic treatment (53). Recently Madsen et al.
(6) addressed the relation between imipramine metabolism
and CYP2D6 polymorphisms. The studies involved dosing healthy Caucasian
individuals with imipramine, followed by determination of imipramine
metabolism through measurement of imipramine, desipramine, and the
2-hydroxy metabolites of each in urines. The hydroxylation ratios were
significantly different between the homozygous and heterozygous EMs,
with the heterozygous EM demonstrating intermediate hydroxylation
ratios between the homozygous EM and PM populations. The relative serum
concentrations of the drugs were not determined in these studies, nor
was the study designed to evaluate the accumulation of drug over time
as a result of the heterozygous vs homozygous genotypes.
|
Of interest in the current literature is the interaction of many selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors with the CYP2D6 enzyme. The most notable example of this is fluoxetine (54). Through competition with CYP2D6 substrates, these drugs precipitate a drug-induced PM phenotype (54)(55). One can reasonably predict that the effects of CYP2D6 inhibitors on the metabolism of CYP2D6 substrates would be more pronounced in heterozygous EMs. However, this has not been definitively demonstrated.
cyp2c19
A second well-characterized CYP-related drug metabolism
polymorphism in humans is associated with the 4'-hydroxylation of the
S-enantiomer of the anticonvulsant mephenytoin (56). Like
the 2D6 isoenzyme, specific genetic mutations of the gene encoding
S-mephenytoin hydroxylase lead to a PM phenotype with respect to
several common therapeutic drugs listed in Table 10
. In contrast to the debrisoquine polymorphism, no UEM
phenotype has been demonstrated for this polymorphic enzyme.
|
The poor metabolizer phenotype is inherited in an autosomal recessive
manner (57). Like the CYP2D6 polymorphisms, there are
significant interethnic differences in the prevalence of the PM
phenotype. The PM phenotype occurs in 25% of Caucasian
(57) and black Zimbabwean Shona populations
(58), and 1823% in Oriental populations
(59). Until recently the specific CYP associated with this
polymorphic drug metabolism was unknown. Recent studies have shown that
CYP2C19 is the enzyme primarily responsible for the 4'-hydroxylation of
mephenytoin in humans (60)(61). The extensive
metabolizer phenotype comprises both the homozygous dominant and
heterozygous recessive genotypes. The principal genetic defect in poor
metabolizers of S-mephenytoin is a single G
A mutation in
exon 5, which creates a novel aberrantly spliced CYP2C19 mRNA.
Translation of this mRNA transcript results in the production of an
inactive truncated protein. This null allele of CYP2C19 is designated
m1. The correlation of this allele with the S-mephenytoin
metabolism phenotype in unrelated Swiss and American Caucasians was
evaluated with a PCR method. The m1 mutation accounted for
75% of CYP2C19 alleles in the Caucasian PMs genotyped. The sensitivity
of this test is 63%, with 100% specificity. In this same study
including unrelated Japanese subjects, the mutant gene m1
accounted for 74% of the alleles (62) in the Japanese PM
group. The sensitivity of this test is 59% with 100% specificity. The
m1 allele did not account for all PMs regardless of race.
Further evaluation of PM subjects with an apparently wt CYP2C19
genotype revealed a second mutant allele, designated CYP2C19
m2, unique to the Japanese individuals. This mutation is a
G636
A mutation, which results in a premature stop codon.
All Japanese PMs whose phenotype could not be explained by the
m1 mutations were found to be either homozygous or
heterozygous (m1m2) for the mutant alleles. All
Japanese EMs had at least one wt allele. Thus, the m1,
o2 mutations accounted for all of the alleles in Japanese
PMs, and the combined sensitivity and specificity of the m1
and m2 mutations for identification of the PM phenotype in
Japanese subjects is 100% (63). The m2 allele
has also been identified in the Chinese population, and in conjunction
with the m1 allele accounted for 100% of alleles in
Chinese PMs. The frequency of PMs in this population was ~11%
(64), which reflects the frequency observed in the
Japanese population. In a Shona population in Zimbabwe, CYP2C19
m1 genotyping correctly identified three of four poor
metabolizers in a study cohort of 84 subjects. No subjects were
inappropriately predicted as a PM and one individual was incorrectly
identified as an EM on the basis of the genotyping data. Thus, in this
population the m1 genotyping method demonstrated 75%
sensitivity and 100% specificity. Analysis of the m2
mutation was not carried out.
The clinical consequence of the CYP2C19 polymorphism has not been fully
described. Considering the relative abundance of this isoenzyme
(Table 2
) and the identification of an increasing number of
pharmaceutical substrates (Table 10
), it is likely that the
clinical relevance of this drug metabolism polymorphism will be
revealed in the near future. Of particular interest are the tricyclic
antidepressant substrates, which are clinically important with respect
to the CYP2D6 polymorphism, and the antimalarial prodrugs proguanil and
chlorproguanil, which require CYP2C19-dependent bioactivation for
therapeutic efficacy (65)(66). The proton pump
inhibitor omeprazole, used in the short-term treatment of active
duodenal ulcer and esophagitis, is primarily metabolized by the CYP2C19
enzyme, and thus its metabolism is subject to this genetic
polymorphism. Because of the wide therapeutic range of this drug,
severe toxicity is not observed in PMs, and omeprazole may serve as a
safer alternative for CYP2C19 phenotyping compared with
S-mephenytoin (67). One recent study on the
causes of drug-induced hepatitis revealed a relation between
Atrium® (a combination preparation of phenobarbital,
febarbamate, and difebarbamate)-induced hepatitis and the PM phenotype
of mephenytoin hydroxylase (68). The influence of CYP2D19
genotype must be further evaluated in this context because of the
observation that liver disease can phenocopy the
S-mephenytoin/omeprazole PM phenotype in genotypically wt
individuals (8).
The following two sections provide an overview of two additional CYP enzymes for which there is some evidence of genetic heterogeneity in the population but the exact molecular basis and clinical significance have not been defined.
cyp2e1
CYP2E1 is responsible for the metabolism and bioactivation of many
procarcinogens (69) and certain drugs, including ethanol
and acetaminophen (70). CYP2E1 is encoded by a single gene
in humans located on chromosome 10 (71). Two alleles of
this gene have been identified in humans, C and c2. The nomenclature
for these alleles differ from the system used to describe the CYP2D6
system. For each location on the gene where polymorphic mutations have
been observed, there is a designation for the wt allele as well as for
the mutant allele. For example, the C allele designates a single point
mutation located in intron 6 of CYP2E1 that can be
identified by RFLP analysis after digestion by DraI
endonuclease. The common wt allele with respect to this mutation is
designated D. The absence of the rare allele (C) has been associated
with lung cancer in a Japanese casecontrol study (72).
Similar studies involving Caucasians and African Americans in the US
found no relation between allelic variance of the DraI
polymorphism and increased risk of lung cancer (73). An
additional RFLP revealed by RsaI endonuclease is located in
the 5' transcriptional regulatory region of this gene
(74). The mutation disrupts a RsaI restriction
endonuclease site, generating the rare allele c2 (RsaI-).
This polymorphic RsaI site is located within the binding
site (cis-responsive element) for the liver-specific
transcription factor HNF1 (LF-B1). Expression of chimeric
chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene constructs containing the native
vs c2 CYP2E1 promoter sequences in situ demonstrated
overexpression of the reporter gene construct containing the promoter
from the c2 CYP2E1 allele (75). In addition, the
expression of CYP2E1 mRNA was increased relative to controls in
peripheral lymphocytes of individuals either homozygous or heterozygous
for the c2 mutant CYP2E1 allele (76). Thus, this mutation
may potentially lead to increased expression of functional protein and
result in increased metabolism of CYP2E1 substrates.
Chlorzoxazone, a skeletal muscle relaxant, is reported to provide a measure of CYP2E1 activity in vivo (75). The use of this in vivo probe of CYP2E1 remains unsettled (77). However, the majority of studies favor its use. Recent studies involving this probe to correlate chlorzoxazone 6-hydroxylase activity (phenotype) with the known polymorphisms of CYP2E1 failed to demonstrate a relation between altered CYP2E1 genotype and the capacity to metabolize chlorzoxazone. Further, the distribution of oral and fractional clearance values was not bimodal, suggesting that a single CYP2E1 allele is predominant in the population studied. An unfortunate limitation of this study is that no individuals homozygous for the c2 variant were identified in the study cohort of Caucasian subjects (78). The lack of c2 alleles identified in this study is most likely due to the interracial differences in the prevalence of the c2 allele, which was first described in the Japanese (76). Typically heterozygotes have the EM phenotype, which cannot be discriminated by phenotyping approaches from the homozygous common genotype. Additionally, it is not clear that phenotyping approaches are a sensitive means of identifying the UEM phenotype, which would be the expected consequence of the c2 mutation. In summary, there is some evidence of genetic polymorphism of CYP2E1 in the human population; however, the molecular mechanisms remain to be further characterized.
cyp3a
The CYP3A subfamily in humans comprises the 3A3, 3A4, and 3A5
isoenzymes in adults and the 3A7 isoenzyme in fetal liver. The
predominant 3A isoenzyme in adult human liver is the 3A4 isoenzyme,
which accounts for 2040% of the total hepatic CYP in humans
(Table 3
) (79)(80)(81). Clinically relevant
substrates for the CYP3A isoenzymes are listed in Table 11
.
|
Although a large degree of interindividual variability in the expression of CYP3A isoenzymes has been demonstrated in human liver (>20-fold), no genetic basis for this polymorphic expression has been defined to date. However, in a recent report of a human liver graft that demonstrated undetectable CYP3A protein by Western blotting, the recipient developed renal failure with 24 h of initiating FK-506 therapy, which resolved upon withdrawal of FK-506. After treatment with corticosteroids and FK-506, liver biopsy revealed the expression of CYP3A (82). Expression may have been induced in the recipient subsequent to combined FK-506 and corticosteroid therapy (83)(84). However, CYP3A4 expression was not evaluated subsequent to discontinuation of FK-506 and corticosteroids to demonstrate reversal in expression. The absence of CYP3A in a human liver specimen has been previously reported (85); the molecular mechanism(s) of this null variant have not been elucidated, but the ability to induce expression may suggest a mutation resident in cis elements of the genes of trans-acting transcription factors responsible for the basal expression of this gene.
In addition to the potential for genetic variability in expression or activity, CYP3A activity is known to be induced on exposure to barbiturates and glucocorticoids and inhibited by macrolide antibiotics such as erythromycin that may influence variability in the in vivo estimates of CYP3A activity. In addition, extrahepatic expression of CYP3A can influence phenotyping approaches (86), depending on the route of test drug administration (87).
In this review we addressed several questions concerning the clinical application of genotyping/phenotyping data as they apply to the clinical laboratory as well as to the clinical practitioner. Genotyping may be indicated in each instance when the therapeutic of choice is a substrate for a polymorphic enzyme. Alternatively, genotyping is indicated when individuals demonstrate suboptimal response to drugs that are substrates for polymorphic enzymes. The advantage of combining genotyping with therapeutic drug monitoring is that genotyping can predict the PM or UEM drug metabolism phenotypes, and this information can be used a priori in dose adjustment or selection of an alternative therapeutic that is not a substrate for the polymorphic enzyme. The cost/healthcare effectiveness of these paradigms has not been extensively studied. Although there would be considerable cost associated with screening all individuals before dosing with these drugs, this cost may be offset by a reduction in costs associated with toxic episodes or therapeutic failure and subsequent intervention.
| Acknowledgments |
|---|
| Footnotes |
|---|
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
-thalassemias by multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Clin Chem 1994;40:2260-2266.
The following articles in journals at HighWire Press have cited this article:
![]() |
R. Valdes Jr and M. W. Linder Fine-Tuning Pharmacogenetics: Paradigm for Linking Laboratory Results to Clinical Action Clin. Chem., September 1, 2004; 50(9): 1498 - 1499. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
G. Iohom, D. Fitzgerald, and A. J. Cunningham Principles of pharmacogenetics--implications for the anaesthetist Br. J. Anaesth., September 1, 2004; 93(3): 440 - 450. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
T. D. Bjornsson, J. T. Callaghan, H. J. Einolf, V. Fischer, L. Gan, S. Grimm, J. Kao, S. P. King, G. Miwa, L. Ni, et al. THE CONDUCT OF IN VITRO AND IN VIVO DRUG-DRUG INTERACTION STUDIES: A PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH AND MANUFACTURERS OF AMERICA (PhRMA) PERSPECTIVE Drug Metab. Dispos., July 1, 2003; 31(7): 815 - 832. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
T. D. Bjornsson, J. T. Callaghan, H. J. Einolf, V. Fischer, L. Gan, S. Grimm, J. Kao, S. P. King, G. Miwa, L. Ni, et al. The Conduct of In Vitro and In Vivo Drug-Drug Interaction Studies: A PhRMA Perspective J. Clin. Pharmacol., May 1, 2003; 43(5): 443 - 469. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
L. Ji, S. Pan, J. Marti-Jaun, E. Hanseler, K. Rentsch, and M. Hersberger Single-Step Assays to Analyze CYP2D6 Gene Polymorphisms in Asians: Allele Frequencies and a Novel *14B Allele in Mainland Chinese Clin. Chem., July 1, 2002; 48(7): 983 - 988. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. D. Claassen, N. Pascoe, A. F. Schatzberg, and G. M. Murphy Jr Rapid Detection of the C-1496G Polymorphism in the CYP2D6 *2 Allele Clin. Chem., December 1, 2001; 47(12): 2153 - 2155. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. M. Shi, M. R. Bleavins, and F. A. de la Iglesia Pharmacogenetic Application in Drug Development and Clinical Trials Drug Metab. Dispos., April 1, 2001; 29(4): 591 - 595. [Abstract] [Full Text] |
||||
![]() |
S. A. Cavalli, M. H. Hirata, and R. D.C. Hirata Detection of MboII Polymorphism at the 5' Promoter Region of CYP3A4, Clin. Chem., February 1, 2001; 47(2): 348 - 351. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Nauck, U. Stein, S. von Karger, W. Marz, and H. Wieland Rapid Detection of the C3435T Polymorphism of Multidrug Resistance Gene 1 Using Fluorogenic Hybridization Probes Clin. Chem., December 1, 2000; 46(12): 1995 - 1997. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Hersberger, J. Marti-Jaun, K. Rentsch, and E. Hanseler Rapid Detection of the CYP2D6*3, CYP2D6*4, and CYP2D6*6 Alleles by Tetra-Primer PCR and of the CYP2D6*5 Allele by Multiplex Long PCR Clin. Chem., August 1, 2000; 46(8): 1072 - 1077. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. Hirth, P. B. Watkins, M. Strawderman, A. Schott, R. Bruno, and L. H. Baker The Effect of an Individual's Cytochrome CYP3A4 Activity on Docetaxel Clearance Clin. Cancer Res., April 1, 2000; 6(4): 1255 - 1258. [Abstract] [Full Text] |
||||
![]() |
Understanding the Cytochrome P450 Isoenzyme System Journal Watch Psychiatry, July 1, 1999; 1999(701): 19 - 19. [Full Text] |
||||
![]() |
M. W. Linder and P. E. Keck Jr. Standards of laboratory practice: antidepressant drug monitoring Clin. Chem., May 1, 1998; 44(5): 1073 - 1084. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
H. Sugiuchi, T. Irie, Y. Uji, T. Ueno, T. Chaen, K. Uekama, and H. Okabe Homogeneous assay for measuring low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in serum with triblock copolymer and {alpha}-cyclodextrin sulfate Clin. Chem., March 1, 1998; 44(3): 522 - 531. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |