Microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH)은 epoxide형 중간대사물을 해독화하는 효소이다. 본 실험실에서는 thiazole 또는 pyrazine을 rat에 투여할 때 mEH mRNA수준이 증가되고 mEH가 유도증가한다는 것을 밝힌바 있다(Carcinogenesis, Kim et al, 1993). 본 연구에서는 Thiazole처리를 한 rat의 간 microsome 분획으로 부터 DEAE-cellulose column chromatography를 이용하여 mEH를 순수분리하였고, 이를 SDS-PAGE분석 및 N 말단 amino acid 서열분석으로 확인하였다. Pyrazine처리를 한 rat의 간 microsome분획에서는 mEH와 더불어 이와 관련된 43 kDa 단백질이 함께 정제되었다. 정제된 thiazole 유도성 mEH를 토끼에 주사하여 항체를 생산하였고, 이 항체를 이용한 immunoblot 분석을 하였을 때 간 microsome 분획의 mEH가 thiazole투여군에서는 대조군에 비하여 10배, pyrazine 투여군에서 7배 증가하였다. Pyrazine처치한 rat의 간 microsome 분획에서는 mEH 관련성 43 kDa 단백질이 동시 유도증가하는 것을 면역화학적 반응으로도 확인하였다. 이때 Pyrazine으로 유도된 rat의 간 microsome 분획 또는 정제분획에 존재하는 43 kDa 단백질과 mEH의 비율은 1 : 15로 나타났다. 정제된 mEH와 43 kDa 단백질의 N 말단 amino acid 서열을 분석하였을때 43 kDa 단백질의 N 말단이 mEH와 동일하게 나타나 관련 단백질임을 확인하였다. 이러한 mEN 유도현상에 종차가 있는지를 알아보기 위하여 thiazole과 pyrazine을 각각 rabbit에 투여하였을 때 rabbit에서 는 mEH의 유도증가가 일어나지 않았으며, pyrazine 투여군에서 43 kDa 단백질의 증가는 관찰 되었다. 본 연구는 thiazole 또는 pyrazine 투여후 mEH 발현이 유도증가되며, pyrazine 투여 후에는 mEH 및 이와 관련된 43 kDa 단백질이 동시유도되고, 이러한 mEH 유도발현에 rat와 rabbit간에는 종차가 있음을 보여준다.
Liver microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) is active in the detoxification of epoxide-containing reactive intermediate. Previous studies in this laboratory have shown that thiazole and pyrazine are efficacious inducers of mEH in rats with large increases in mEH mRNA levels (Carcinogensis, Kim et al, 1993). mEH was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from thiazole-induced rat hepatic microsomes using DEAE-cellulose column chromatography whereas another protein ( ~ 43 kDa) was co-purified with mEH from pyrazine-induced rat hepatic micrsomes (200 mg/kg body weight/day, ip, 3d). The antibody raised from a rabbit against mEH protein purified from thiazole-induced rat hepatic microsomes appeared to specifically recognize mEH protein in rat hepatic microsomes, as assessed by immunoblotting analysis. Immunoblotting analyses revealed a 10- and 7-fold increase in mEH levels in the hepatic microsomes isolated from thiazole- and pyrazine-treated rats, respectively. Moreover, immunoblotting analysis showed cross-reactivity of the mEH antibody with a 43 kDa protein in pyrazine-induced rat hepatic microsomes and with co-purified 43 kDa protein in purified fractions. The ratio between the 43 kDa protein and mEH in pyrazine-induced rat microsomes or in purified fractions was ~ 1 to 15. N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of both purified rat mEH and 43 kDa protein revealed that 10 out of 12 amino acids in N-terminus of the 43 kDa protein were identical with the mEH sequence with two amino acid residues of the 43 kDa protein undetermined. Either thiazole or pyrazine treatment, however, failed to increase the levels of mEH protein in rabbits while pyrazine caused elevation of the 43 kDa protein in this species, as determined by irnrnunoblotting analysis. These results demonstrated that treatment of rats with either thiazole or pyrazine causes elevation in hepatic mEH expiession whereas pyrazine treatment results in induction of another mEH-related 43 kDa protein and that a distinct species difference exists between rats and rabbits in the induction of mEH by these xenobiotics.
