Abstract

Acetyl-coenzyme A (AcCoA)-dependent arylamine N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity (EC 2.3.1.5) was examined in liver cytosol derived from homozygous rapid acetylator (Bio. 87.20) and homozygous slow acetylator (Bio. 82.73/H) Syrian inbred hamsters. Expression of NAT activity toward p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), 2-aminofluorene (AF), and 4-aminobiphenyl (ABP) was acetylator genotype-dependent, whereas N-acetyltransferase activity toward isoniazid was acetylator genotype-independent. Two isozymes of NAT activity were partially purified by anion exchange fast protein liquid chromatography from the hepatic cytosol of both homozygous rapid and homozygous slow acetylator hamsters. The first eluting NAT isozyme exhibited a polymorphic expression toward AF, ABP, and PABA although the second eluting NAT isozyme exhibited a monomorphic expression across acetylator genotypes toward the same substrates. Determination of Michaelis-Menten kinetic constants in hepatic cytosol of homozygous rapid and slow acetylator hamsters suggests that PABA, AF, and ABP NAT activities were acetylator genotype-dependent because of catalysis by polymorphic NAT isozyme that is both an apparent Km and Vmax variant, whereas, the acetylator genotype-independent expression of isoniazid NAT activity appeared to result from catalysis via a common monomorphic NAT isozyme in both acetylator genotypes. Additional kinetic studies on the partially purified NAT isozymes of homozygous rapid and slow acetylator hamster liver confirmed that the polymorphic NAT isozyme exhibited a substantially higher apparent maximum velocity in homozygous rapid acetylators than slow acetylators toward PABA, AF, and ABP as well as acetylator genotype-related differences in the apparent Km toward each of these substrates. In contrast, the monomorphic NAT isozyme of both acetylator genotypes showed apparent Vmax levels of NAT activity that did not vary with acetylator genotype. Furthermore, the monomorphic NAT isozyme did not show acetylator genotype-related variations in apparent Km toward the arylamine carcinogens AF and ABP, although differences were noted for PABA and AcCoA. These results suggest that the acetylator genotype-dependent expression of AcCoA-dependent NAT activity in hamster hepatic cytosol toward arylamines is primarily accountable by structural variants (allozymes) of polymorphic NAT under the genetic regulation of the acetylator gene locus. The acetylator genotype-independent expression of isoniazid NAT activity is attributable to a common monomorphic NAT isozyme in both acetylator genotypes.