What is this CYP?

CYPs, is the short form CYTOCHROME P450. The origins for the short form (CYP) I belive is CYtochromesP450. Agreed that it is not a very good short form but that is the only explanation I have heard and could think about. It will be awesome if anyone post the real and probably better explanation for that. The origins for the robotic name of Cytochromes P450 will be discussed on a later post.
Anyway, the CYPs forms a gene family which until Aug 2009 had more that 11000 described genes divided into 977 families and 2519 sub-families (http://drnelson.utmem.edu/CytochromeP450.html) widespread in all the three domains of life (and even on viruses particles!!!). Plants, with 4266 different genes, are responsable for most of its diversity; followed by animals (3282), fungi (2570), bacteria (905), protists (247), archea (22) and viruses (2). Insects, with 1675 genes, have more the half of all animals CYP genes. The huge CYP diversity in plants and insects is believed to be the result of an evolutionary battle between prey vs predator: the insect-plant chemical warfare (unmissable reference: Molecular mechanisms of metabolic resistance to synthetic and natural xenobiotics.
Annu Rev Entomol. 2007;52:231-53.)
But, what are all those forms doing???? That is a point! We still do not know what does each one do. Anyway, from what we currently know, they play several different important roles in order to maintain the homeostasis. In this regard, a short, general and fascinating paper is the one by Stegeman & Livingstone 1998 (Comp Biochem Physiol C Pharmacol Toxicol Endocrinol. 1998 Nov;121(1-3):1-3.). They genially summarizes in a single figure most of the roles the CYPs are involved with. Once ago John gifted me with a previous and colored version of these figure, which you can see above.

So, a great number of CYPs participates in endogenous pathways such as biosynthesis of hormones, while another great number are involved with the metabolism of foreigners compounds (namely xenobiotics, non endogenous and non nutrient substances absorbed by an organism - like drugs and pollutants).
But what are CYPs originally meant to be and do? Why do we have so many of them? We can only speculate about the answers for those questions yet. In fact, discussions about these speculations has all the potential to became the first topic of intense debate in this blog - so, let's start posting ours comments! One thing that is known is that CYP origin dates millions years back in time, when the atmosphere was not yet saturated with oxygen and the first primitive cells was starting to develop. This ancestral CYP is supposed to be more similar to the now-a-days CYP51, which are the unique family found in biological kingdoms and possesses an endogenous function.

THE PURPOSES

The main purpose of this blog is to create a full time forum to debate about one of the nature's most diverse and widespread gene family: the CYTOCHROMES P450, also known as CYPs! All and any topic involving CYP will be covered - ranging from CYP origins, evolution and diversification to involvement of CYPs in human diseases passing through CYP applications in biotechnology. Usually, I will use this forum to advertise and comment what I find to be the most outstanding up-to-date publications in the field.
As CYP publications are reaching absurd numbers per day, a huge percentage of the outstanding articles will not be discussed. However, I count on the YOU (the readers) to send comments not only discussing my current post but also linking to others excellent papers that might not be directly related to the current post. Senior CYP scientists will eventually be invited to write very brief reviews or about priority research on the field. Also, any CYP scientist/student are encouraged to write short posts and send it to me. These posts will be posted in the blog and credits will be given to the author(s).
Sure this blog is also a great place for high-school and undergraduate students to learn about these very interesting enzymes and all the metabolic and physiologic processes they are involved in. Despite CYP importance and the number of scientific papers published on it, this is (as far as I am aware) the first blog devoted entirely to the CYPs.
In sum, I hope CYP scientists can find here a forum to discuss all aspects of our favorite proteins: the CYPs. By doing it, we will be always in touch and not limit to few days each year during some of ours CYP meetings. More over, we will meet here CYP specialists that works on different parts of the CYP universe, which the odds to meet elsewhere are very low. This will expand our limited vision and can potentially help each of us to better understand the small part of this huge universe we are studying. Finally, it is meant to open the eyes of younger students to this amazingly diverse gene/protein/enzyme family.

WELCOME TO THE CYPblog!

Cheers,
Thiago Parente