Role of cytochrome P1 in the induction of NAD(P)H:quinone reductase in a murine hepatoma cell line and its mutants

NAD(P)H:Quinone oxidoreductase (QR) is a widely-distributed enzyme that promotes obligatory two-electron reductions of quinones and thereby protects cells against the cytotoxicity of quinones and their metabolic precursors. QR is induced by a wide variety of chemoprotectors in many animal tissues as well as in the Hepa 1c1c7 murine hepatoma cell line. Such inducers fall into two families: dual inducers (e.g. polycydic aromatics, azo dyes, β-naphthoflavone) that elevate QR as well as cytochrome P1-450, and selective inducers of QR (e.g. tert-butylhydroquinone and other redoxlabile diphenols). Induction by the first family of inducers depends on binding to the Ah (Aryl hydrocarbon) receptor and the associated expression of a functional cytochrome P1-450 enzyme, whereas the induction by redox-labile diphenols does not appear to be receptor-mediated. In order to analyze the possible role of the cytochrome P1-450 system in the induction of QR, we examined this process in the Hepa 1c1c7 cells and in four mutants of this cell line that are defective in the induction or expression of functional cytochrome P1-450. tert-Butylhydroquinone was an effective inducer of QR in all of the cell lines, and this process does not, therefore, depend on a functional cytochrome P1-450 enzyme. In contrast, azo dyes and polycyclic aromatics induce QR in the parent cell line but not in the various types of cytochrome P1-450-defective mutants. We conclude that the Ah receptor and cytochrome P1-450 function are involved in the induction of QR by certain azo dyes and polycyclic aromatics, but not by phenolic antioxidants.