REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF INDIVIDUAL FORMS OF CYTOCHROME-P450 MESSENGER-RNA IN NORMAL ADULT HUMAN BRAIN

The cytochromes P450 are a large family of haemoproteins which have a major role in the oxidative metabolism of a wide range of xenobiotics and some endogenous compounds. In this study the presence of individua l members of the CYP1, CYP2 and CYP3 P450 families has been investigat ed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in different reg ions of normal human brain consisting of frontal and temporal cortices , mid brain, cerebellum, pens and medulla. All the P450s were identifi ed in specific regions of brain with CYP1A1 and CYP2C being the most f requently expressed forms of P450. Sequencing identified the CYP2C PCR product as CYP2C8. This study indicates that individual P450 mRNAs ar e present in human brain and are found in specific brain regions. The distribution of individual P450s in different regions of human brain i s likely to be highly important in determining the response of the bra in to toxic foreign compounds. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.