The first CYP1A1 structure

CYP1A1 was one of the first P450 enzymes to be characterised and, as its name indicates, holds the first place in the systematic nomenclature of P450s [1]. However, it was not until last year that the first crystal structure of human CYP1A1 in complex with α-naphthoflavone has been determined at 2.6 Å resolution [2]. The structure [3] is released this week.

1. Nebert, D.W., Nelson, D.R., Coon, M.J., Estabrook, R.W., Feyereisen, R., Fujii-Kuriyama, Y., Gonzalez, F.J., Guengerich, F.P., Gunsalus, I.C., Johnson, E.F., Loper, J.C., Sato, R., Waterman, M.R. and Waxman, D.J. (1991) The P450 superfamily: update on new sequences, gene mapping, and recommended nomenclature. DNA Cell Biol. 10, 1—14.
2. Walsh, A.A., Szklarz, G.D. and Scott, E.E. (2012) Cytochrome P450 1A1 structure and utility in predicting drug and xenobiotic metabolism. Proceedings of the 19th International Symposium on Microsomes and Drug Oxidations and 12th European ISSX Meeting, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 17—21 June 2012.
3. PDB:4I8V