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Birchfield NB, Casida JE: Protoporphyrinogen oxidase: high affinity tetrahydrophthalimide radioligand for the inhibitor/herbicide-binding site in mouse liver mitochondria. Chem Res Toxicol. 1996 Oct-Nov;9(7):1135-9.
Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (protox), the last common enzyme in heme and chlorophyll biosynthesis, is the target of several classes of herbicides acting as inhibitors in both plants and mammals. N-(4-Chloro-2-fluoro-5-(propargyloxy) phenyl)-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro phthalimide (a potent protox inhibitor referred to as THP) was synthesized as a candidate radioligand ([3H]-THP) by selective catalytic reduction of 3,6-dihydrophthalic anhydride (DHPA) with tritium gas followed by condensation in 45% yield with 4-chloro-2-fluoro-5-(propargyloxy) aniline. Insertion of tritium at the 3 and 6 carbons of DHPA as well as the expected 4 and 5 carbons resulted in high specific activity [3H] THP (92 Ci/mmol). This radioligand undergoes rapid, specific, saturable, and reversible binding to the inhibitor/herbicide binding site of the protox component of cholate-solubilized mouse liver mitochondria with an apparent Kd of 0.41 nM and Bmax of 0.40 pmol/mg of protein. In the standard assay, mouse preparation (150 micrograms of protein) and [3H] THP (0.5 nM) are incubated in 500 microL of phosphate buffer at pH 7.2 for 15 min at 25 degrees C followed by addition of ammonium sulfate and filtration with glass fiber filters. The potencies of five nitrodiphenyl ethers and two other herbicides as inhibitors of [3H] THP binding correlate well with those for inhibition of protox activity (r2 = 0.97, n = 7), thus validating the binding assay as relevant to enzyme inhibition. It is also suitable to determine in vivo block as illustrated by an approximately 50% decrease in [3H] THP binding in liver mitochondria from mice treated ip with oxyfluorfen at 4 mg/kg. This is the first report of a binding assay for protox in mammals. The high affinity and specific activity of [3H] THP facilitate quantitation of protox and therefore research on a sensitive inhibition site for porphyrin biosynthesis. |
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