Exploring the Interactome of Cytochrome P450 2E1 in Human Liver Microsomes with Chemical Cross-Linking Mass Spectrometry

This study aimed on exploration of the system-wide effects of the alcohol-induced increase in the content of cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) in the human liver on drug metabolism. Using membrane incorporation of purified CYP2E1 modified with photoreactive crosslinkers benzophenone-4-maleimide (BPM) and 4-(N-succinimidylcarboxy)benzophenone (BPS), we explored the array of its protein-protein interactions (proteome) in human liver microsomes (HLM) with chemical cross-linking mass spectrometry (CXMS). Exposure of bait-incorporated HLM samples to light was followed by isolation of the His-tagged bait protein and its cross-linked aggregates on Ni-NTA agarose. Analyzing the individual bands of SDS-PAGE slabs of thereby isolated protein with the toolset of untargeted proteomics, we detected the cross-linked dimeric and trimeric complexes of CYP2E1 with other drug-metabolizing enzymes. Among the most extensively cross-linked partners of CYP2E1 are cytochromes P450 2A6, 3A4, 2C9, and 4A11. We also detected the conjugates of CYP2E1 with UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) 1A6, 1A9, 2B4, 2B15, and 2B17. These results demonstrate the exploratory power of the proposed CXMS strategy and corroborate the concept of tight functional integration in the human drug-metabolizing ensemble through protein-protein interactions of the constituting enzymes. Of particular interest is the observation of efficient cross-linking of CYP2E1 with CYP4A11. This enzyme plays a central role in the synthesis of vasoactive eicosanoids and its interactions with alcohol-inducible CYP2E1 may shed light on the mechanisms of alcohol-induced hypertension.