First Step Of Heme Biosynthesis Research Articles

Preclinical Studies of the GlyT1 Inhibitor Bitopertin in Diamond-Blackfan Anemia

Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) results from the haploinsufficiency of 1 of 20 different ribosomal proteins. While DBA patients have hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell defects which broadly impact hematopoiesis, the dominant phenotype is ineffective erythropoiesis and severe anemia. In ~60% of patients, the anemia responds to corticosteroid therapy, leaving an unmet need for safe and effective treatment. In DBA, the synthesis of heme (a chemical chelate) proceeds at a near normal rate while the ribosomal haploinsufficiency leads to slowed translation and delayed globin protein synthesis, resulting in a heme-globin imbalance. DBA patient colony forming unit-erythroid (CFU-E)/proerythroblasts and murine Rpl11 haploinsufficient CFU-E/proerythroblasts show increased heme- and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated cell damage, apoptosis, and ferroptosis. Single cell RNAseq analyses also suggest that excessive heme is a major factor in DBA erythroid marrow failure. When patient marrow cells are cultured in the presence of succinylacetone to reduce heme synthesis or hemopexin to facilitate heme export, erythroid output significantly increases. Succinylacetone competitively inhibits the 2 nd step in heme synthesis, while hemopexin enhances heme export 100-fold and scavenges the extracellular heme. Neither would be a pragmatic and safe therapy for DBA patients. In the first step of heme biosynthesis, glycine and succinyl-CoA combine to form aminolevulinic acid. Erythroid precursors are unable to synthesize enough glycine to support their robust heme synthesis and must import glycine via glycine transporter 1 (GlyT1) (PMID 28495915). Bitopertin is an investigational oral small-molecule inhibitor of GlyT1. In Phase 3 clinical studies of schizophrenia, it was found to be ineffective but exhibited a favorable safety profile (PMID 27816567). To determine whether bitopertin could rebalance heme and globin synthesis, reduce ineffective erythropoiesis, and improve red cell production in DBA, we cultured marrow cells from patients with DBA without and with 10 nM bitopertin (n=3). Following 7 days of culture, bitopertin increased the mean number of cells (21%) and the number of CD71+ erythroid precursors (31%) without impacting erythroid maturation. We next made human cord blood CD34+ deficient for RPS19 (44±2% reduction) with RPS19 shRNA transduction (or control luciferase shRNA) to model RPS19 haploinsufficient DBA. Treatment with bitopertin improved erythroid expansion of RPS19-deficient CD34+ cells 60% (P<0.01) but not control CD34+ cells. Additionally, to assess erythroid differentiation in vitro in the context of an erythroblastic island (EBI) niche, we cultured the CD34+ cell-derived erythroblasts with cord blood-derived macrophages. Erythroid expansion is 7.9±1.3-fold higher (P<0.02) in EBI cultures compared to cultures without macrophages. Treatment of the EBI cultures with bitopertin increased the expansion of RPS19-deficient CD34+ cell-derived erythroblasts 3.9±0.3-fold (P<0.002) but did not increase the expansion of control CD34+ cell-derived erythroblasts. As a final study, Rpl11 haploinsufficient mice were treated with bitopertin (10 to 150 ppm in chow, 2-30 mg/kg/day) for 8 weeks. Bitopertin treatment resulted in a dose-dependent improvement in anemia. After treatment with an optimal dose of bitopertin (100 ppm in chow, 20 mg/kg/day), there was an 8.8% increase in the hemoglobin values, and there was significant improvement in red cell numbers (7.5±1.1 M/µL to 8.9±1.3 M/µL, p=0.005), hematocrit (41.6±4.9% to 45.5±4.2%, p<0.05), and mean corpuscular volume (55.7±3.5 fL to 51.8±4.2 fL, p=0.01). Additionally, bitopertin treatment diminished the developmental block at the CFU-E/proerythroblast stage and reduced erythroblast ROS. The improved in vitro erythroid differentiation of DBA patient marrow and RPS19-deficient CD34+ cells and the improved anemia of RPL11 haploinsufficient mice suggest that bitopertin might mitigate anemia in DBA patients. These encouraging preclinical data supported the initiation of a Phase 1/2 clinical trial (NCT05828108: Young et al, abstract this meeting).

Antagonism of ALAS1 by the Measles Virus V protein contributes to degradation of the mitochondrial network and promotes interferon response.

Viruses have evolved countless mechanisms to subvert and impair the host innate immune response. Measles virus (MeV), an enveloped, non-segmented, negative-strand RNA virus, alters the interferon response through different mechanisms, yet no viral protein has been described as directly targeting mitochondria. Among the crucial mitochondrial enzymes, 5'-aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS) is an enzyme that catalyzes the first step in heme biosynthesis, generating 5'-aminolevulinate from glycine and succinyl-CoA. In this work, we demonstrate that MeV impairs the mitochondrial network through the V protein, which antagonizes the mitochondrial enzyme ALAS1 and sequesters it to the cytosol. This re-localization of ALAS1 leads to a decrease in mitochondrial volume and impairment of its metabolic potential, a phenomenon not observed in MeV deficient for the V gene. This perturbation of the mitochondrial dynamics demonstrated both in culture and in infected IFNAR-/- hCD46 transgenic mice, causes the release of mitochondrial double-stranded DNA (mtDNA) in the cytosol. By performing subcellular fractionation post infection, we demonstrate that the most significant source of DNA in the cytosol is of mitochondrial origin. Released mtDNA is then recognized and transcribed by the DNA-dependent RNA polymerase III. The resulting double-stranded RNA intermediates will be captured by RIG-I, ultimately initiating type I interferon production. Deep sequencing analysis of cytosolic mtDNA editing divulged an APOBEC3A signature, primarily analyzed in the 5'TpCpG context. Finally, in a negative feedback loop, APOBEC3A an interferon inducible enzyme will orchestrate the catabolism of mitochondrial DNA, decrease cellular inflammation, and dampen the innate immune response.

In silico drug repurposing for filarial infection predicts nilotinib and paritaprevir as potential inhibitors of the Wolbachia 5\u2032-aminolevulinic acid synthase

Filarial infections affect millions of individuals and are responsible for some notorious disabilities. Current treatment options involve repeated mass drug administrations, which have been met with several challenges despite some successes. Administration of doxycycline, an anti-Wolbachia agent, has shown clinical effectiveness but has several limitations, including long treatment durations and contraindications. We describe the use of an in silico drug repurposing approach to screening a library of over 3200 FDA-approved medications against the filarial endosymbiont, Wolbachia. We target the enzyme which catalyzes the first step of heme biosynthesis in the Wolbachia. This presents an opportunity to inhibit heme synthesis, which leads to depriving the filarial worm of heme, resulting in a subsequent macrofilaricidal effect. High throughput virtual screening, molecular docking and molecular simulations with binding energy calculations led to the identification of paritaprevir and nilotinib as potential anti-Wolbachia agents. Having higher binding affinities to the catalytic pocket than the natural substrate, these drugs have the structural potential to bind and engage active site residues of the wolbachia 5′-Aminolevulinic Acid Synthase. We hereby propose paritaprevir and nilotinib for experimental validations as anti-Wolbachia agents.

Human aminolevulinate synthase structure reveals a eukaryotic-specific autoinhibitory loop regulating substrate binding and product release

5′-aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS) catalyzes the first step in heme biosynthesis, generating 5′-aminolevulinate from glycine and succinyl-CoA. Inherited frameshift indel mutations of human erythroid-specific isozyme ALAS2, within a C-terminal (Ct) extension of its catalytic core that is only present in higher eukaryotes, lead to gain-of-function X-linked protoporphyria (XLP). Here, we report the human ALAS2 crystal structure, revealing that its Ct-extension folds onto the catalytic core, sits atop the active site, and precludes binding of substrate succinyl-CoA. The Ct-extension is therefore an autoinhibitory element that must re-orient during catalysis, as supported by molecular dynamics simulations. Our data explain how Ct deletions in XLP alleviate autoinhibition and increase enzyme activity. Crystallography-based fragment screening reveals a binding hotspot around the Ct-extension, where fragments interfere with the Ct conformational dynamics and inhibit ALAS2 activity. These fragments represent a starting point to develop ALAS2 inhibitors as substrate reduction therapy for porphyria disorders that accumulate toxic heme intermediates.

Structure of the Mitochondrial Aminolevulinic Acid Synthase, a Key Heme Biosynthetic Enzyme

5-Aminolevulinic acid synthase (ALAS) catalyzes the first step in heme biosynthesis. We present the crystal structure of a eukaryotic ALAS from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this homodimeric structure, one ALAS subunit contains covalently bound cofactor, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP), whereas the second is PLP free. Comparison between the subunits reveals PLP-coupled reordering of the active site and of additional regions to achieve the active conformation of the enzyme. The eukaryotic C-terminal extension, a region altered in multiple human disease alleles, wraps around the dimer and contacts active-site-proximal residues. Mutational analysis demonstrates that this C-terminal region that engages the active site is important for ALAS activity. Our discovery of structural elements that change conformation upon PLP binding and of direct contact between the C-terminal extension and the active site thus provides a structural basis for investigation of disruptions in the first step of heme biosynthesis and resulting human disorders.

Reduced Heme Levels Underlie the Exponential Growth Defect of the Shewanella oneidensis hfq Mutant

The RNA chaperone Hfq fulfills important roles in small regulatory RNA (sRNA) function in many bacteria. Loss of Hfq in the dissimilatory metal reducing bacterium Shewanella oneidensis strain MR-1 results in slow exponential phase growth and a reduced terminal cell density at stationary phase. We have found that the exponential phase growth defect of the hfq mutant in LB is the result of reduced heme levels. Both heme levels and exponential phase growth of the hfq mutant can be completely restored by supplementing LB medium with 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), the first committed intermediate synthesized during heme synthesis. Increasing expression of gtrA, which encodes the enzyme that catalyzes the first step in heme biosynthesis, also restores heme levels and exponential phase growth of the hfq mutant. Taken together, our data indicate that reduced heme levels are responsible for the exponential growth defect of the S. oneidensis hfq mutant in LB medium and suggest that the S. oneidensis hfq mutant is deficient in heme production at the 5-ALA synthesis step.

Catalytically active alkaline molten globular enzyme: Effect of pH and temperature on the structural integrity of 5-aminolevulinate synthase

5-Aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS), a pyridoxal-5′phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme, catalyzes the first step of heme biosynthesis in mammals. Circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence spectroscopies were used to examine the effects of pH (1.0–3.0 and 7.5–10.5) and temperature (20 and 37°C) on the structural integrity of ALAS. The secondary structure, as deduced from far-UV CD, is mostly resilient to pH and temperature changes. Partial unfolding was observed at pH2.0, but further decreasing pH resulted in acid-induced refolding of the secondary structure to nearly native levels. The tertiary structure rigidity, monitored by near-UV CD, is lost under acidic and specific alkaline conditions (pH10.5 and pH9.5/37°C), where ALAS populates a molten globule state. As the enzyme becomes less structured with increased alkalinity, the chiral environment of the internal aldimine is also modified, with a shift from a 420nm to 330nm dichroic band. Under acidic conditions, the PLP cofactor dissociates from ALAS. Reaction with 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid corroborates increased exposure of hydrophobic clusters in the alkaline and acidic molten globules, although the reaction is more pronounced with the latter. Furthermore, quenching the intrinsic fluorescence of ALAS with acrylamide at pH1.0 and 9.5 yielded subtly different dynamic quenching constants. The alkaline molten globule state of ALAS is catalytically active (pH9.5/37°C), although the kcat value is significantly decreased. Finally, the binding of 5-aminolevulinate restricts conformational fluctuations in the alkaline molten globule. Overall, our findings prove how the structural plasticity of ALAS contributes to reaching a functional enzyme.

Acute intermittent porphyria causes hepatic mitochondrial energetic failure in a mouse model

Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), an inherited hepatic disorder, is due to a defect of hydroxymethylbilane synthase (HMBS), an enzyme involved in heme biosynthesis. AIP is characterized by recurrent, life-threatening attacks at least partly due to the increased hepatic production of 5-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA). Both the mitochondrial enzyme, ALA synthase (ALAS) 1, involved in the first step of heme biosynthesis, which is closely linked to mitochondrial bioenergetic pathways, and the promise of an ALAS1 siRNA hepatic therapy in humans, led us to investigate hepatic energetic metabolism in Hmbs KO mice treated with phenobarbital. The mitochondrial respiratory chain (RC) and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle were explored in the Hmbs−/− mouse model. RC and TCA cycle were significantly affected in comparison to controls in mice treated with phenobarbital with decreased activities of RC complexes I (−52%, **p<0.01), II (−50%, **p<0.01) and III (−55%, *p<0.05), and decreased activity of α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (−64%, *p<0.05), citrate synthase (−48%, **p<0.01) and succinate dehydrogenase (−53%, *p<0.05). Complex II-driven succinate respiration was also significantly affected. Most of these metabolic alterations were at least partially restored after the phenobarbital arrest and heme arginate administration. These results suggest a cataplerosis of the TCA cycle induced by phenobarbital, caused by the massive withdrawal of succinyl-CoA by ALAS induction, such that the TCA cycle is unable to supply the reduced cofactors to the RC. This profound and reversible impact of AIP on mitochondrial energetic metabolism offers new insights into the beneficial effect of heme, glucose and ALAS1 siRNA treatments by limiting the cataplerosis of TCA cycle.

Indispensable function for embryogenesis, expression and regulation of the nonspecific form of the 5‐aminolevulinate synthase gene in mouse

The first step of heme biosynthesis in animals is catalyzed by 5-aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS), which controls heme supply in various tissues. To clarify the roles that the nonspecific isoform of ALAS (ALAS-N) plays in vivo, we prepared a green fluorescent protein (GFP) knock-in mouse line in which the Alas1 gene (encoding ALAS-N) is replaced with a gfp gene. We found that mice bearing a homozygous knock-in allele (Alas1(GFP/GFP)) were lethal by embryonic day 8.5, demonstrating that ALAS-N is essential for early embryogenesis. Fluorescence microscopic and flow cytometric analyses of heterozygous mouse (Alas1(+/GFP)) tissues showed that the Alas1 expression level differs substantially in tissues; Alas1 is highly expressed in testis Leydig cells, exocrine glands (including submandibular and parotid glands), endocrine glands (such as adrenal and thyroid glands) and hematopoietic lineage cells (including neutrophils and eosinophils). Quantitative analyses of GFP mRNA and ALAS-N mRNA in various tissues of Alas1(+/GFP) mice suggested that the destabilization of ALAS-N mRNA was not uniform in the various tissues. These results thus lay bare that elaborate control of the endogenous heme supply operates in various mouse tissues through regulation of the ALAS-N expression level and that this control is essential for heme homeostasis in animals.

Remodeling the regulation of iron metabolism during erythroid differentiation to ensure efficient heme biosynthesis

Terminal erythropoiesis is accompanied by extreme demand for iron to ensure proper hemoglobinization. Thus, erythroblasts must modify the "standard" post-transcriptional feedback regulation, balancing expression of ferritin (Fer; iron storage) versus transferrin receptor (TfR1; iron uptake) via specific mRNA binding of iron regulatory proteins (IRPs). Although erythroid differentiation involves high levels of incoming iron, TfR1 mRNA stability must be sustained and Fer mRNA translation must not be activated because iron storage would counteract hemoglobinization. Furthermore, translation of the erythroid-specific form of aminolevulinic acid synthase (ALAS-E) mRNA, catalyzing the first step of heme biosynthesis and regulated similarly as Fer mRNA by IRPs, must be ensured. We addressed these questions using mass cultures of primary murine erythroid progenitors from fetal liver, either undergoing sustained proliferation or highly synchronous differentiation. We indeed observed strong inhibition of Fer mRNA translation and efficient ALAS-E mRNA translation in differentiating erythroblasts. Moreover, in contrast to self-renewing cells, TfR1 stability and IRP mRNA binding were no longer modulated by iron supply. These and additional data stemming from inhibition of heme synthesis with succinylacetone or from iron overload suggest that highly efficient utilization of iron in mitochondrial heme synthesis during normal erythropoiesis alters the regulation of iron metabolism via the IRE/IRP system.

Fusidic acid-resistant mutants of Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium have low levels of heme and a reduced rate of respiration and are sensitive to oxidative stress.

Mutations in the translation elongation factor G (EF-G) make Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium resistant to the antibiotic fusidic acid. Fus(r) mutants are hypersensitive to oxidative stress and rapidly lose viability in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. We show that this phenotype is associated with reduced activity of two catalase enzymes, HPI (a bifunctional catalase-hydroperoxidase) and HPII (a monofunctional catalase). These catalases require the iron-binding cofactor heme for their activity. Fus(r) mutants have a reduced rate of transcription of hemA, a gene whose product catalyzes the first committed step in heme biosynthesis. Hypersensitivity of Fus(r) mutants to hydrogen peroxide is abolished by the presence of delta-aminolevulinic acid, the precursor of heme synthesis, in the growth media and by the addition of glutamate or glutamine, amino acids required for the first step in heme biosynthesis. Fluorescence measurements show that the level of heme in a Fus(r) mutant is significantly lower than it is in the wild type. Heme is also an essential cofactor of cytochromes in the electron transport chain of respiration. We found that the rate of respiration is reduced significantly in Fus(r) mutants. Sequestration of divalent iron in the growth media decreases the sensitivity of Fus(r) mutants to oxidative stress. Taken together, these results suggest that Fus(r) mutants are hypersensitive to oxidative stress because their low levels of heme reduce both catalase activity and respiration capacity. The sensitivity of Fus(r) mutants to oxidative stress could be associated with loss of viability due to iron-mediated DNA damage in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. We argue that understanding the specific nature of antibiotic resistance fitness costs in different environments may be a generally useful approach in identifying physiological processes that could serve as novel targets for antimicrobial agents.

Impact of mutations in hemA and hemH genes on pyoverdine production by Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC17400

A Pseudomonas fluorescens Tn 5 mutant, with decreased production of the siderophore pyoverdine, was obtained, with the transposon inserted in the hemA gene coding for glutamyl tRNA reductase, the enzyme that catalyzes the first step of heme biosynthesis. Since this mutant was leaky, a second round of transposition was needed to obtain a second mutant completely auxotrophic for the heme precursor δ-aminolevulinate (ALA). Pyoverdine production by this mutant is ALA-dependent at concentrations above those needed to sustain growth. A transposon mutant in the hemH gene that encodes the enzyme ferrochelatase showing a characteristic red fluorescence upon UV exposure as a result of porphyrins accumulation, was obtained by selecting transconjugants on LB medium containing hemin. The Δ hemH mutant was characterized and the corresponding hemH gene sequenced. Antibodies against P. fluorescens HemH detected the protein both in soluble and membrane fractions of the wild-type and confirmed the absence of the enzyme in the mutant. The Δ hemH mutant failed to produce pyoverdine, but the production of the siderophore was restored by introduction of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa hemH gene in trans. These results indicate that de novo heme biosynthesis is needed for a normal level of siderophore pyoverdine production.

Impact of mutations in hemA and hemH genes on pyoverdine production by Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC17400.

A Pseudomonas fluorescens Tn5 mutant, with decreased production of the siderophore pyoverdine, was obtained, with the transposon inserted in the hemA gene coding for glutamyl tRNA reductase, the enzyme that catalyzes the first step of heme biosynthesis. Since this mutant was leaky, a second round of transposition was needed to obtain a second mutant completely auxotrophic for the heme precursor delta-aminolevulinate (ALA). Pyoverdine production by this mutant is ALA-dependent at concentrations above those needed to sustain growth. A transposon mutant in the hemH gene that encodes the enzyme ferrochelatase showing a characteristic red fluorescence upon UV exposure as a result of porphyrins accumulation, was obtained by selecting transconjugants on LB medium containing hemin. The DeltahemH mutant was characterized and the corresponding hemH gene sequenced. Antibodies against P. fluorescens HemH detected the protein both in soluble and membrane fractions of the wild-type and confirmed the absence of the enzyme in the mutant. The DeltahemH mutant failed to produce pyoverdine, but the production of the siderophore was restored by introduction of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa hemH gene in trans. These results indicate that de novo heme biosynthesis is needed for a normal level of siderophore pyoverdine production.

Heme deficiency in erythroid lineage causes differentiation arrest and cytoplasmic iron overload.

Erythroid 5-aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS-E) catalyzes the first step of heme biosynthesis in erythroid cells. Mutation of human ALAS-E causes the disorder X-linked sideroblastic anemia. To examine the roles of heme during hematopoiesis, we disrupted the mouse ALAS-E gene. ALAS-E-null embryos showed no hemoglobinized cells and died by embryonic day 11.5, indicating that ALAS-E is the principal isozyme contributing to erythroid heme biosynthesis. In the ALAS-E-null mutant embryos, erythroid differentiation was arrested, and an abnormal hematopoietic cell fraction emerged that accumulated a large amount of iron diffusely in the cytoplasm. In contrast, we found typical ring sideroblasts that accumulated iron mostly in mitochondria in adult mice chimeric for ALAS-E-null mutant cells, indicating that the mode of iron accumulation caused by the lack of ALAS-E is different in primitive and definitive erythroid cells. These results demonstrate that ALAS-E, and hence heme supply, is necessary for differentiation and iron metabolism of erythroid cells.

Zebrafish: A New Model for Human Disease: Figure 1.

Picture this—you have just mapped a human disease locus to a particular region of a chromosome. With a click of a computer button, the region of chromosomal synteny in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) genome is revealed. Behold, there are several mutant zebrafish loci mapped in this general region of synteny. Another click and you find a fish mutant resembling your human disease. Further clicking reveals several independent alleles with varying phenotypes establishing the pathophysiology of the human disease. Does this sound farfetched? Well, recently several zebrafish mutants with “human” diseases have been found. With more infrastructure for the zebrafish system, the above scenario could become commonplace. The zebrafish is an excellent system for developmental biologists and geneticists (Westerfield 1989; Detrich et al. 1999). The externally developing embryos are clear, allowing visualization of organ systems. The 1-inch size of the zebrafish allows large numbers of these vertebrates to be maintained in a relatively small space. In addition, each female lays >200 eggs per week. This enables the study of large numbers of meioses for positional cloning purposes. The genetic map has been continually improving over the past 2 years, and currently >2000 microsatellite markers and up to 400 genes have been defined (Knapik et al. 1998; Postlethwait et al. 1998) for the 1.7 2 10-bp genome (M. Fishman and J. Postlethwait, unpubl). The zebrafish system was originally envisioned to provide important clues to normal embryogenesis and organ development. Because it is a vertebrate, the organism would bridge the gap between Drosophila/Caenhorhabditis elegans and mouse/human genetics. A flurry of candidate gene-cloning experiments revealed that the organism is an attractive one for developmental biology and clearly demonstrates the use of zebrafish for establishing embryonic axis and early neurogenesis (Solnica-Krezel 1999). Another hope for the system was that the vertebrate zebrafish would relate to the human, and mutants could define disease loci. Positional cloning approaches in the zebrafish have been made possible by the development of key reagents such as YAC, PAC, and BAC libraries (Amemiya et al. 1999), as well as radiation hybrid panels (Kwok et al. 1998; M. Ekker, unpubl.). The first positional cloning project involved the isolation of the one-eyed-pinhead gene (Zhang et al. 1998), a novel cell surface molecule with EGF repeats. The second positional cloning project involved the isolation of the gene sauternes (sau) (Brownlie et al. 1998). Sau mutants have a normal number of blood cells circulating on day 2, but these blood cells fail to make hemoglobin. This mutant phenotype proved to be due to a defect in the erythroid synthase d-aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS-2) gene, which regulates the first step in heme biosynthesis in embryonic red cells. Human patients with ALAS-2 mutations have a disease very similar to the fish called congenital sideroblastic anemia, establishing this zebrafish mutant as the first animal model of this human disease (see Fig. 1). Additionally, Shuo Lin and coworkers have provided evidence that the yquem (yqe) mutant is due to uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase (UROD) deficiency (Wang et al. 1998). This fish has the equivalent of human porphyria and further establishes the case that some of the zebrafish mutants will represent human diseases. Are the blood mutants unique among the zebrafish as to their relevance to human disease? Clearly, there are other phenotypes among all the zebrafish mutants that resemble human disorders (Driever and Fishman 1996). For instance, the zebrafish gridlock mutant has a defect similar to coarctation of the aorta in humans (Weinstein et al. 1995). In addition, there are zebrafish mutants with cystic kidneys that may represent polycystic kidney disease of humans (Drummond et al. 1998). It remains for clinicians to examine the zebrafish issue of Development (1996) to see whether other phenotypes resemble interesting diseases. It was known previously that the mouse and human genomes share large blocks of chromosomal synteny, but no one believed that the fish chromosomal structure would resemble that of the human. For many chromosomal loci, the synteny is obvious between the fish and the human (Postlethwait et al. 1998). This facilitates positional cloning of the zebrafish genes, which can utilize information from the Human Genome Project. A zebrafish researcher can scour the human databases and look for candidate genes in the region near a zebrafish mutation. In the future, it should be possible for investigators studying human genetics to be able to interface directly to a zebrafish Web site (The Zebrafish Server, The Fish Net, ZFIN, http://zfish.uoregon.edu/) and evaluate mutants in a region of interest to the investigator. This process of “genome ping-ponging” based on these syntenic relationships will further establish the usefulness of the zebrafish for understanding human disease. The article by Davidson et al. in this issue demonstrates the power of zebrafish to examine conserved genes and genome structure among the vertebrates. The GDF genes encode critical E-MAIL zon@rascal.med.harvard.edu; FAX (617) 355-7262. Insight/Outlook

Deficient Heme and Globin Synthesis in Embryonic Stem Cells Lacking the Erythroid-Specific δ-Aminolevulinate Synthase Gene

The erythroid-specific isoform of δ-aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS-E) catalyzes the first step of heme biosynthesis in erythroid cells, and ALAS-E gene mutations are known to be responsible for x-linked sideroblastic anemia. To study the role of ALAS-E in erythroid development, we prepared mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells carrying a disrupted ALAS-E gene and examined the effect of the lack of ALAS-E gene expression on erythroid differentiation. We found that mRNAs for erythroid transcription factors and TER119-positive cells were increased similarly both in the wild-type and mutant cells. In contrast, heme content, the number of benzidine-positive cells, adult globin protein, and mRNA for β-major globin were significantly decreased in the mutant cells. These results were confirmed using another ES differentiation system in vitro and suggest that ALAS-E expression, hence heme supply, is critical for the late stage of erythroid cell differentiation, which involves hemoglobin synthesis.

Deficient Heme and Globin Synthesis in Embryonic Stem Cells Lacking the Erythroid-Specific δ-Aminolevulinate Synthase Gene

AbstractThe erythroid-specific isoform of δ-aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS-E) catalyzes the first step of heme biosynthesis in erythroid cells, and ALAS-E gene mutations are known to be responsible for x-linked sideroblastic anemia. To study the role of ALAS-E in erythroid development, we prepared mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells carrying a disrupted ALAS-E gene and examined the effect of the lack of ALAS-E gene expression on erythroid differentiation. We found that mRNAs for erythroid transcription factors and TER119-positive cells were increased similarly both in the wild-type and mutant cells. In contrast, heme content, the number of benzidine-positive cells, adult globin protein, and mRNA for β-major globin were significantly decreased in the mutant cells. These results were confirmed using another ES differentiation system in vitro and suggest that ALAS-E expression, hence heme supply, is critical for the late stage of erythroid cell differentiation, which involves hemoglobin synthesis.

5-Aminolevulinate synthase and the first step of heme biosynthesis.

5-Aminolevulinate synthase catalyzes the condensation of glycine and succinyl-CoA to yield 5-aminolevulinate. In animals, fungi, and some bacteria, 5-aminolevulinate synthase is the first enzyme of the heme biosynthetic pathway. Mutations on the human erythroid 5-aminolevulinate synthase, which is localized on the X-chromosome, have been associated with X-linked sideroblastic anemia. Recent biochemical and molecular biological developments provide important insights into the structure and function of this enzyme. In animals, two aminolevulinate synthase genes, one housekeeping and one erythroid-specific, have been identified. In addition, the isolation of 5-aminolevulinate synthase genomic and cDNA clones have permitted the development of expression systems, which have tremendously increased the yields of purified enzyme, facilitating structural and functional studies. A lysine residue has been identified as the residue involved in the Schiff base linkage of the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate cofactor, and the catalytic domain has been assigned to the C-terminus of the enzyme. A conserved glycine-rich motif, common to all aminolevulinate synthases, has been proposed to be at the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-binding site. A heme-regulatory motif, present in the presequences of 5-aminolevulinate synthase precursors, has been shown to mediate the inhibition of the mitochondrial import of the precursor proteins in the presence of heme. Finally, the regulatory mechanisms, exerted by an iron-responsive element binding protein, during the translation of erythroid 5-aminolevulinate synthase mRNA, are discussed in relation to heme biosynthesis.

Cloning, genetic characterization, and nucleotide sequence of the hemA-prfA operon of Salmonella typhimurium

The first step in heme biosynthesis is the formation of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). Mutations in two genes, hemA and hemL, result in auxotrophy for ALA in Salmonella typhimurium, but the roles played by these genes and the mechanism of ALA synthesis are not understood. I have cloned and sequenced the S. typhimurium hemA gene. The predicted polypeptide sequence for the HemA protein shows no similarity to known ALA synthases, and no ALA synthase activity was detected in extracts prepared from strains carrying the cloned hemA gene. Genetic analysis, DNA sequencing of amber mutations, and maxicell studies proved that the open reading frame identified in the DNA sequence encodes HemA. Another surprising finding of this study is that hemA lies directly upstream of prfA, which encodes peptide chain release factor 1 (RF-1). A hemA::Kan insertion mutation, constructed in vitro, was transferred to the chromosome and used to show that these two genes form an operon. The hemA gene ends with an amber codon, recognized by RF-1. I suggest a model for autogenous control of prfA expression by translation reinitiation.

Heme-deficient mutants of Salmonella typhimurium: two genes required for ALA synthesis.

The first step in heme biosynthesis is the formation of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). We have isolated, mapped and characterized a large number of Salmonella typhimurium mutants auxotrophic for ALA. These mutants carry defects in either one of two genes, both required for ALA synthesis. The previously identified hemA gene maps at 35 min, and the hemL gene maps at 5 min on the S. typhimurium genetic map. Mutants in hemA and hemL are defective for aerobic and anaerobic respiration, and appear to be oxygen sensitive. The Hem- phenotype of hemL mutants is less severe than that of hemA mutants. Although hemA and hemL mutants are deficient in heme synthesis, genetic tests indicate that they still synthesize two minor products of the heme pathway, siroheme and cobalamin (vitamin B12), under anaerobic conditions. In contrast, hemB, hemC and cysG mutants, blocked after ALA synthesis, make neither siroheme nor vitamin B12. Double mutants defective in both hemA and hemL also make siroheme. We suggest that hemA and hemL are required for one route of ALA synthesis and that a second, minor route of ALA synthesis may operate in S. typhimurium; this second pathway would be independent of the hemA and hemL functions.