Generation and functional characterization of mice with a disrupted glutathione S-transferase, theta 1 gene

Glutathione S-transferase (GST) theta 1 (GSTT1) has been regarded as one of the key enzymes involved in phase II reactions because of its unique substrate specificity. In this study, we generated mice with the disrupted Gstt1 gene (Gstt1-null mice) by gene targeting and analyzed the metabolic properties in cytosolic and in vivo studies. The resulting Gstt1-null mice failed to express the Gstt1 mRNA and GSTT1 protein by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis and two-dimensional fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis/mass spectrometry analysis, respectively. However, the Gstt1-null mice appeared to be normal and were fertile. In an enzymatic study using cytosolic samples from the liver and kidney, GST activity toward 1,2-epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxy)propane (EPNP), dichloromethane (DCM), and 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) was markedly lower in Gstt1-null mice than in the wild-type controls, despite there being no difference in GST activity toward 1-choloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene between Gstt1-null mice and the wild-type controls. Gstt1-null mice had GST activity of only 8.7 to 42.1% of the wild-type controls to EPNP, less than 2.2% of the wild-type controls to DCM, and 13.2 to 23.9% of the wild-type controls to BCNU. Plasma BCNU concentrations after a single i.p. administration of BCNU to Gstt1-null mice were significantly higher, and there was a larger area under the curve(5-60) min (male, 2.30 times; female, 2.28 times, versus the wild-type controls) based on the results. In conclusion, Gstt1-null mice would be useful as an animal model of humans with the GSTT1-null genotype.