TY - JOUR T1 - Transgenic Mice with a Hypomorphic NADPH-Cytochrome P450 Reductase Gene: Effects on Development, Reproduction, and Microsomal Cytochrome P450 JF - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics JO - J Pharmacol Exp Ther SP - 35 LP - 43 DO - 10.1124/jpet.104.073353 VL - 312 IS - 1 AU - Lin Wu AU - Jun Gu AU - Huadong Cui AU - Qing-Yu Zhang AU - Melissa Behr AU - Cheng Fang AU - Yan Weng AU - Kerri Kluetzman AU - Pamela J. Swiatek AU - Weizhu Yang AU - Laurence Kaminsky AU - Xinxin Ding Y1 - 2005/01/01 UR - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/312/1/35.abstract N2 - A mouse model with a hypomorphic NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (Cpr) gene (designated Cprlow allele) was generated and characterized in this study. The Cpr gene in these mice was disrupted by the insertion of a neo gene in intron 15, which led to 74 to 95% decreases in CPR expression in all tissues examined, including olfactory mucosa, adrenal gland, brain, testis, ovary, lung, kidney, liver, and heart. In the liver, a pattern of pericentral distribution of CPR protein was preserved in the Cprlow/low mice, despite an overall reduction in CPR expression. Genotype distribution in F2 pups indicated limited embryonic lethality associated with the Cprlow allele, a finding that confirms the role of CPR-dependent enzymes in development. Adult male homozygotes had decreased body weight and decreased heart, lung, and kidney weights, whereas homozygous Cprlow females, which had increased serum testosterone and progesterone and decreased copulatory activities, were infertile. Furthermore, adult Cprlow/low mice had decreased plasma cholesterol, and some mice developed mild centrilobular hepatic lipidosis. In addition, despite apparently compensatory increases in total microsomal cytochrome P450 content in the liver and kidney, the decreases in CPR expression were accompanied by reductions in systemic clearance of pentobarbital, as well as in hepatic microsomal metabolism of acetaminophen and testosterone. These phenotypes illustrate the potential impact of a globally decreased CPR activity in human adults, and this novel knock-in mouse model provides a unique opportunity for further explorations of the in vivo roles of CPR and CPR-dependent enzymes. The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics ER -