Mechanisms of disassembly of a mixed function oxygenase system in liver endoplasmic reticulum: II. The interrelation between lipid peroxidation and proteolytic degradation of cytochrome P-450.

The degradation of cytochrome P-450 as a result of proteolytic action of trypsin is a biphasic process. Lipid peroxidation (LPO) increases the rate of the fast phase of cytochrome P-450 degradation and its accessibility to protease. The efficiency of this process depends on the mode of LPO induction and decreases in the following order: NADPH----NADH----ascorbate-dependent LPO. The induction of the monooxygenase system increases the efficiency of proteolysis. LPO and proteolysis seem to be mutually enhancing processes which provide for a high efficiency of cytochrome P-450 degradation. LPO can be regarded as a triggering mechanism which makes various forms of cytochrome P-450 accessible to endogenous proteases.