A hybrid cDNA encoding a fused enzyme consisting of rat cytochrome P450c and rat NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase was constructed by combining the cytochrome P450c cDNA with the cDNA fragment encoding the protease-solubilized moiety of the NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase. The hybrid cDNA was inserted between the yeast alcohol dehydrogenase I promoter and terminator of the expression vector pAAH5 to yield expression plasmid pAMP19. Saccharomyces cerevisiae AH22 cells transformed with the expression plasmid pAMP19 produced a 130-kD protein reactive with both anti-cytochrome P450c Ig and antireductase Ig. The yeast cells containing the fused enzyme exhibited about four times higher monooxygenase activity toward 7-ethoxycoumarin than those containing rat cytochrome P450c alone. The fused enzyme was purified from the yeast microsomal fraction by sequential chromatography with DEAE-cellulose and 2',5'-ADP Sepharose 4B columns. The preparation had an apparent molecular weight of 130 kD and the same sequence of the 10 amino-terminal amino acids as that of rat cytochrome P450c. Spectral properties of the fused enzyme indicated the presence of a protoheme, flavin adenine dinucleotide, and flavin mononucleotide in the molecule. The reaction mechanism of the fused enzyme followed first-order kinetics. These results clearly indicate that the fused enzyme is a new self-catalytic P450 monooxygenase. Trypsin treatment of yeast microsomes containing the fused enzyme suggested that the P450 moiety is embedded in the microsomal membrane with the reductase moiety lying on the cytoplasmic side.

Recombinant plasmids for expression of bovine cytochrome P450c21 (pA gamma 2), both P450c21 and yeast NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (pAR gamma 1), P450c21/yeast reductase fused enzymes (pAF gamma R1, pAF gamma R2, and pAF gamma R20), and yeast reductase/P450c21 fused enzymes (pAFR gamma 1 and pAFR gamma 2) were constructed by using expression vector pAAH5. The plasmids were each introduced into the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae AH22 cells. The recombinant yeast strains AH22/pA gamma 2 (Y21) and AH22/pAR gamma 1 (Y21R) produced 2-3 X 10(3) molecules of P450c21 per cell. The cultures of both strains converted progesterone and 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone into 11-deoxycorticosterone and 11-deoxycortisol, respectively. The 21-hydroxylase activity per cell of the strain Y21R was about three times higher than that of the strain Y21, probably due to overproduction of yeast reductase. The recombinant yeast strains AH22/pAF gamma R1 (Y21RF1), AH22/pAF gamma R2 (Y21RF2), and AH22/pAF gamma R20 (Y21RF20) produced about 1.1-2.0 X 10(4) molecules per cell of the corresponding P450c21/yeast reductase fused enzymes. The specific 21-hydroxylase activity toward 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone per cell of the strains Y21RF1, Y21RF2, and Y21RF20 was about 21, 28, and 49 times higher than that of the strain Y21, respectively. Thus, the fused enzymes were superior to P450c21 in the specific activity and in the expression level in the yeast. The Km values for 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone of P450c21 in the strains Y21 and Y21R, and of the fused enzymes in the strains Y21RF1 and Y21RF2 were 0.29, 0.30, 0.67, and 0.65 microM, respectively. The Vmax values of P450c21 in the strains Y21 and Y21R, and of the fused enzymes in the strains Y21RF1 and Y21RF2 were 28, 124, 151, and 222 moles/min.mole P450c21 or fused enzyme, respectively. These results indicated that the fused enzymes showed lower affinity for the substrate, probably due to structural modification and higher reaction rates through efficient intramolecular electron transfer as compared with those of P450c21. While the strain AH22/pAFR gamma 2 (YR21F2) produced about 3 X 10(4) molecules per cell of the reductase/P450c21 fused enzyme, the specific 21-hydroxylase activity of the fused enzyme toward 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone was extremely low, suggesting that the structure of the fused enzyme might not be suited for electron transfer in yeast microsomes.

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We constructed expression plasmids for bovine adrenal cytochrome P450c17 (P450c17) by inserting the corresponding cDNA between the yeast alcohol dehydrogenase I promoter and terminator of the expression vector pAAH5. Plasmids pA alpha 1 and pA alpha 2 contained the entire coding region for bovine P450c17, whereas pAC alpha 1 included the cDNA coding for chimeric P450c alpha consisting of the amino-terminal 45 amino acid residues of rat P450c and the carboxy-terminal 482 amino acid residues of bovine P450c17. The transformed Saccharomyces cerevisiae AH22/pA alpha 1, AH22/pA alpha 2, and AH22/pAC alpha 1 cells produced about 1 x 10(5), 1 x 10(5), and 2 x 10(4) molecules per cell of the corresponding P450 hemoproteins, respectively. On incubation with the cultures of each of the three strains, progesterone was specifically converted into 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, which was not further converted into androstenedione, indicating that the three strains showed 17 alpha-hydroxylase activity, but almost no C17,20-lyase activity. The microsomal fraction prepared from the AH22/pA alpha 1 cells showed 17 alpha-hydroxylase activity toward progesterone and pregnenolone to higher extents, and exhibited C17,20-lyase activity toward 17 alpha-hydroxypregnenolone to a lesser extent and almost no C17,20-lyase activity toward 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone. These results indicated that bovine P450c17 synthesized in S. cerevisiae cells manifests the 17 alpha-hydroxylase activity, but not the C17,20-lyase activity.

The NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase gene isolated from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae [Yabusaki et al., J. Biochem. 103, 1004-1010 (1988)] was expressed on a multi-copy plasmid in the yeast. The transformed yeast cells with the recombinant plasmid carrying the reductase gene with a length of 3 kb produced the corresponding mRNA read from the original transcription initiation site under the control of its own promoter with a maximum length of 300 bp. The reductase content in the transformed cells was 25 times higher than that of the endogenous reductase. When the coding region for the reductase was placed between the alcohol dehydrogenase I gene promoter and the terminator of the expression vector pAAH5, the expression level was 32 times higher than at the endogenous level. These recombinant yeast strains showed enhanced cytochrome c reductase activity with increased cellular reductase levels. A simultaneous expression of yeast P450 reductase with rat P450c or bovine P450(17 alpha) resulted in 25 times or a 5 times increase in the corresponding P450-dependent monooxygenase activity of the recombinant yeast strains, respectively, as compared with that of the yeast cells expressing the corresponding P450 species. These results suggested that the overproduction of yeast P450 reductase with a simultaneous expression of the mammalian P450 species enhanced the P450c- and P450(17 alpha)-dependent monooxygenase activities in the recombinant yeast strains, probably due to the increased frequency of the interaction between yeast P450 reductase and P450c or P450(17 alpha) in the yeast microsomes.