Short Communication Sex-Related Differences in the Expression of mfGSTA2, a Novel GST Identified in Cynomolgus Monkey (Macaca fascicularis)

Glutathione S-transferase (GST) is one of the most important phase II drug-metabolizing enzymes, catalyzing the conjugation of electro-philic substrates to glutathione. Unlike in humans, a surprisingly limited number of GST genes have been identified in monkeys. The identification of additional GST genes in this model system would prove to be advantageous, because monkeys remain an important predictor of drug effects and toxicities in humans during preclinical studies. In this study, we report the identification and character-ization of the following six cDNAs in cynomolgus monkeys: mfG-STA1, mfGSTA2, mfGSTM5, mfMGST1, mfGSTO1, and mfGSTZ1. These cDNAs encode GSTs highly homologous (approximately 95%) to human GST cDNAs. Among these, the mfGSTA1, mfG-STM5, mfMGST1, mfGSTO1, and mfGSTZ1 cDNAs correspond to a single human GST counterpart, whereas the mfGSTA2 cDNA is highly similar to human GSTA1 and GSTA2 cDNAs. An analysis o