The cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily of drug metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) plays a central role in the oxidative metabolism of xenobiotics to which living organisms are exposed. In Bos taurus (cattle), a definitive nomenclature for CYP proteins is still lacking, and to unambiguously settle cattle nomenclature a phylogenetic analysis of proteins belonging to CYP 1-4 families was performed. Sequences collected from GenBank and Dr Nelson's P450 homepage databases were analyzed according to the maximum likelihood method. Phylogenetic outputs showed that CYPs sharing the same name and collected from different species did not form, in several instances, monophyletic groups. Some cattle CYPs did not group with their supposed human orthologous counterparts, thus requiring a new nomenclature. Name changes mostly mirrored the orthologous counterparts established for other species, and new names were created when no clear orthologous sequences were identified. The new nomenclature will allow a more appropriate investigation of biochemical and molecular mechanisms involved in the expression and regulation of these DMEs.
© 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.