Disruption of the glutathione transferase pi class genes

Abstract

Glutathione transferases are a multi-gene family of enzymes responsible for the metabolism of a wide range of both endogenous and exogenous substrates. These polymorphic enzymes, which form part of an adaptive response to chemical and oxidative stress, are widely distributed and ubiquitously expressed and are subject to regulation by a number of structurally unrelated chemicals. One of these enzymes, GST P, has been the focus of much research in recent years in relation to its involvement in the etiology of disease, particularly cancer. As part of our research efforts into GST P, we have developed a mouse line that lacks this enzyme and have used this model to investigate the consequences of the absence of GST P on tumorigenesis, drug metabolism, and toxicity.