cytochrome P450 306A1 and similar cytochrome P450s
This subfamily is composed of insect and crustacean cytochrome P450s including insect cytochrome P450 306A1 (CYP306A1 or Cyp306a1) and CYP18A1. CYP306A1 functions as a carbon 25-hydroxylase and has an essential role in ecdysteroid biosynthesis during insect development. CYP18A1 is a 26-hydroxylase and plays a key role in steroid hormone inactivation. The CYP306A1-like subfamily belongs to the large cytochrome P450 (P450, CYP) superfamily of heme-containing proteins that catalyze a variety of oxidative reactions of a large number of structurally different endogenous and exogenous compounds in organisms from all major domains of life. CYPs bind their diverse ligands in a buried, hydrophobic active site, which is accessed through a substrate access channel formed by two flexible helices and their connecting loop.