A close family resemblance: the importance of structure in understanding cytochromes P450

Structure. 1998 Sep 15;6(9):1079-85. doi: 10.1016/s0969-2126(98)00109-9.

Abstract

Cytochromes P450 comprise a very large superfamily of hemeproteins which generally monooxygenate hydrophobic compounds. P450s appear to have a common conserved structural core, yet are variable in regions involved in substrate recognition and binding, and in redox-partner binding. These differences can be identified by an analysis in which structural alignments and homology models are used to compare the various classes and families of P450s.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Catalytic Domain*
  • Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / chemistry*
  • Humans
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Models, Molecular
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Protein Conformation*

Substances

  • Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System