In ferrochelatase-deficient protoporphyria patients, ALAS2 expression is enhanced and erythrocytic protoporphyrin concentration correlates with iron availability.

The activity of the erythroid-specific isoenzyme of 5-aminolevulinic acid synthase (ALAS2), the first and rate-limiting enzyme in heme biosynthesis, is down-regulated during iron-deficiency. Ferrochelatase (FECH), the last enzyme of this pathway, inserts iron into protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) to form heme. Patients with erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), an inherited deficiency in FECH, often show signs of iron deficiency in addition to phototoxicity which is caused by PPIX accumulation. However, iron supplementation often leads to exacerbation of phototoxicity. We report three EPP patients who had reduced erythrocytic PPIX concentrations when they were iron-deficient and their microcytic and hypochromic anemia deteriorated. Additionally, we found a significant increase in the amount of ALAS2 mRNA and protein among EPP patients. To verify the connection between FECH deficiency and ALAS2 over-expression, we inhibited FECH in cultured cells and found a subsequent increase in ALAS2 mRNA. We conclude that the primary deficiency in ferrochelatase leads to a secondary increase in ALAS2 expression. The combined action of these two enzymes within the heme biosynthetic pathway contributes to the accumulation of PPIX. Furthermore, we hypothesize that EPP patients may benefit from a mild iron deficiency since it would limit PPIX production by restricting ALAS2 over-expression.

Induction of IW32 erythroleukemia cell differentiation by p53 is dependent on protein tyrosine phosphatase.

The biological activity of p53 in IW32 erythroleukemia cells was investigated. IW32 cells had no detectable levels of p53 mRNA and protein expression. By transfecting a temperature-sensitive mutant p53 cDNA, tsp53val135, into the cells, we have established several clones stably expressing the mutant p53 allele. At permissive temperature, these p53 transfectants were arrested in G1 phase and underwent apoptosis. Moreover, differentiation along the erythroid pathway was observed as evidenced by increased benzidine staining and mRNA expression of beta-globin and the erythroid-specific delta-aminolevulinic acid synthase (ALAS-E). Treatment of cells with protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor vanadate blocked the p53-induced differentiation, but not that of cell death or growth arrest. Increased protein tyrosine phosphatase activity as well as mRNA levels of PTPbeta2 and PTPepsilon could be observed by wildtype p53 overexpression. These results indicate that p53 induced multiple phenotypic consequences through separate signal pathways in IW32 erythroleukemia cells, and protein tyrosine phosphatase is required for the induced differentiation.

Inhibition of hemoglobin expression by heterologous production of nitric oxide synthase in the K562 erythroleukemic cell line.

Recent studies have indicated that nitric oxide may affect iron metabolism through disruption of the iron-sulfur complex of iron regulatory protein-1, a translational regulator. In the present study, we report that heterologous expression of murine macrophage nitric oxide synthase (NOS-2) in the human erythroleukemic K562 cell line results in constitutive production of nitric oxide associated with inhibition of hemoglobin expression. K562 cells were transfected with an episomally-maintained, hygromycin-selectable expression vector bearing the coding region of NOS-2. Constitutive NOS expression was detected by Western blotting of cell lysates and by the accumulation of nitrite in the culture media. Although NOS-transfected cells grew more slowly than control cells, they were able to maintain constitutive expression of NOS and production of nitric oxide for more than 1 month following transfection. The hemoglobin content of NOS-transfected K562 cells was less than one-fifth that of control cells, but increased markedly if NOS inhibitor was included in the culture media. The nitric oxide-mediated inhibition of hemoglobin expression was reversed by supplementing the culture media with 20 mumol/L hemin or 0.5 mmol/L 5-amino-levulinate, indicating that nitric oxide did not directly inhibit hemoglobin synthesis, but likely acted on a step in heme synthesis. mRNA levels for globin and erythroid aminolevulinic acid synthase (eALAS) were the same in both NOS-transfected and control cells. Our observations indicate that hemoglobin expression is inhibited by nitric oxide in NOS-transfected K562 cells by posttranscriptional repression of eALAS, the first enzyme of the heme biosynthetic pathway. The most likely mechanism is a nitric oxide-mediated translational repression of eALAS, as was recently demonstrated for ferritin synthesis. These observations further illustrate the potential for endogenously produced nitric oxide to regulate cellular posttranscriptional events. In particular, our observations may be relevant to the role of nitric oxide in anemia and lowered blood hemoglobin concentrations that are associated with chronic infections, such as tuberculosis or parasitic disease.

Selenium regulation of hepatic heme metabolism: induction of delta-aminolevulinate synthase and heme oxygenase.

Selenium was found to be a novel regulator of cellular heme methabolism in that the element induced both the mitochondrial enzyme delta-aminolevulinate synthase [succinyl-CoA:glycine C-succinyltransferase (decarboxylating); EC 2-3-1-37] and the microsomal enzyme heme oxygenase [heme, hydrogen-donor:oxygen oxidoreductase(alpha-methene-oxidizing, hydroxylating); EC 1-14-99-3] in liver. The effect of selenium on these enzyme activities was prompt, reaching a maximum within 2 hr after a single injection. Other changes in parameters of hepatic heme metabolism occurred after administration of the element. Thirty minutes after injection the cellular content of heme was significantly increased; however, this value slightly decreased below control values within 2 hr, coinciding with the period of rapid induction of heme oxygenase. At later peroids heme content returned to normal values. Selenium treatment caused only a slight decrease in microsomal cytochrome P-450 content. However, drug-metabolizing activity was severely inhibited by higher doses of the element. Unlike other inducers of delta-aminolevulinate synthase, which as a rule are also porphyrinogenic agents, selenium induction of this enzyme was not accompanied by an increase in the cellular content of prophyrins. When rats were pretreated with selenium 90 min before administration of heme, a potent inhibitor of delta-aminolevulinate synthase production, the inhibitory effect of heme of formation of this mitochondrial enzyme was completely blocked. Selenium, at high concentrations in vitro, was inhibitory to delta-aminolevulinate synthase activity. It is postulated that selenium may not be a direct inducer of heme oxygenase as is the case with trace metals such as cobalt, but may mediate an increase in heme oxygenase through increased production and cellular availability of "free" heme, which results from the increased heme synthetic activity of hematocytes. Subsequently, the increased heme oxygenase activity is in turn responsible for the lack of increase in the microsomal heme content, thus maintaining heme levels at normal values despite the highly increased activities of both heme oxygenase and delta-aminolevulinate synthase. It is further suggested that the increase in delta-aminolevulinate synthase activity is not due to a decreased rate of enzyme degradation or an activation of preformed enzyme, but to increased rate of synthesis of enzyme protein. Although selenium in trace amounts has been postulated to be involved in microsomal electron transfer process, the data from this study indicate that excess selenium can substantially inhibit microsomal drug metabolism.