Tight binding of cytochrome b(5) to cytochrome P450 17A1 is a critical feature of stimulation of C21 steroid lyase activity and androgen synthesis

It has been recognized for >50 years that cytochrome b(5) (b(5)) stimulates some cytochrome P450 (P450)–catalyzed oxidations, but the basis of this function is still not understood well. The strongest stimulation of catalytic activity by b(5) is in the P450 17A1 lyase reaction, an essential step in androgen synthesis from 21-carbon (C21) steroids, making this an excellent model system to interrogate b(5) function. One of the issues in studying b(5)–P450 interactions has been the limited solution assay methods. We constructed a fluorescently labeled variant of human b(5) that can be used in titrations. The labeled b(5) bound to WT P450 17A1 with a K(d) of 2.5 nM and rapid kinetics, on the order of 1 s(−1). Only weak binding was observed with the clinical P450 17A1 variants E305G, R347H, and R358Q; these mutants are deficient in lyase activity, which has been hypothesized to be due to attenuated b(5) binding. K(d) values were not affected by the presence of P450 17A1 substrates. A peptide containing the P450 17A1 Arg-347/Arg-358 region attenuated Alexa 488-T70C-b(5) fluorescence at higher concentrations. The addition of NADPH–P450 reductase (POR) to an Alexa 488-T70C-b(5):P450 17A1 complex resulted in a concentration-dependent partial restoration of b(5) fluorescence, indicative of a ternary P450:b(5):POR complex, which was also supported by gel filtration experiments. Overall, these results are interpreted in the context of a dynamic and tight P450 17A1:b(5) complex that also binds POR to form a catalytically competent ternary complex, and variants that disrupt this interaction have low catalytic activity.