Flavin-containing monooxygenases in aging and disease: Emerging roles for ancient enzymes

Ryan Rossner; Matt Kaeberlein; Scott F. Leiser

doi:10.1074/jbc.R117.779678

Flavin-containing monooxygenases in aging and disease: Emerging roles for ancient enzymes

From the ^‡Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 and
the Departments of ^§Molecular & Integrative Physiology and
^¶Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109

↵1 To whom correspondence should be addressed: Dept. of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, 3027 BSRB, 109 Zina Pitcher Pl., Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Tel.: 734-647-9746; E-mail: leiser{at}umich.edu.

Edited by F. Peter Guengerich

Abstract

Flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs) are primarily studied as xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes with a prominent role in drug metabolism. In contrast, endogenous functions and substrates of FMOs are less well understood. A growing body of recent evidence, however, implicates FMOs in aging, several diseases, and metabolic pathways. The evidence suggests an important role for these well-conserved proteins in multiple processes and raises questions about the endogenous substrate(s) and regulation of FMOs. Here, we present an overview of evidence for FMOs' involvement in aging and disease, discussing the biological context and arguing for increased investigation into the function of these enzymes.

Footnotes

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants R00AG045200 and P30AG024824 (to S. F. L.), National Institutes of Health Grant R01AG038518 (to M. K.), and National Institutes of Health Training Grant T32AG000057 (to R. R.). The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with the contents of this article. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.