title: Flavin-containing monooxygenases: mutations, disease and drug response.
abstract: Flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs) metabolize numerous foreign chemicals, including drugs, pesticides and dietary components and, thus, mediate interactions between humans and their chemical environment. We describe the mechanism of action of FMOs and insights gained from the structure of yeast FMO. We then concentrate on the three FMOs (FMOs 1, 2 and 3) that are most important for metabolism of foreign chemicals in humans, focusing on the role of the FMOs and their genetic variants in disease and drug response. Loss-of-function mutations of FMO3 cause the disorder trimethylaminuria. More common variants that decrease enzyme activity are associated with increased drug efficacy. Most humans are homozygous for a nonsense mutation that inactivates FMO2. But a substantial proportion of sub-Saharan Africans express functional FMO2 and, thus, are predicted to respond differently to drugs and other foreign chemicals.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK.
authors.forename: Ian R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Shephard
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D010105:Oxygenases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000378:metabolism*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D010105:Oxygenases; C020066:dimethylaniline monooxygenase (N-oxide forming)