Cytochromes P450--a family of proteins and scientists-understanding their relationships.

The unifying thread of this review involves NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (CYPOR), the microsomal enzyme responsible for transferring electrons to cytochromes P450, as well as several other monooxygenase systems, a lifelong interest of the corresponding author. The intersection of her research with that of Dr. David Kupfer, their resulting collaboration, and the beginning of a long-standing study of fatty acid- and eicosanoid-metabolizing cytochromes P450 (CYP4A gene subfamily), including the role of cytochrome b5, will be reported. The culmination of this interest now involves purification and characterization of the human mutants of CYPOR that have been implicated in pathologies, such as Antley-Bixler syndrome.