Induction of delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase in mouse Friend
virus-transformed erythroleukemia cells during erythroid differentiation
CS Chang and S Sassa
The activity of delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) dehydratase, an enzyme
involved in heme biosynthesis, has been shown to increase in Friend
virus-transformed murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells during erythroid
differentiation. In this study, the nature of the increase in ALA
dehydratase activity in MEL cells was examined using a monospecific
antibody directed to the enzyme. A sevenfold increase in ALA dehydratase
activity was observed after cells had been treated with 1.5% Me2SO for 5
days. Ouchterlony double immunodiffusion analysis showed that lysates from
untreated and Me2SO-treated MEL cells formed a single precipitin line with
rabbit IgG directed to the normal mouse liver ALA dehydratase. A single arc
of identity was also observed with the lysates from normal mouse
erythrocytes, spleen, liver, and lysates from both uninduced and induced
MEL cells. Rocket immunoelectrophoresis demonstrated that lysates from both
uninduced and induced cells formed rockets with the IgG and that the peak
height of the rocket was proportional to the ALA dehydratase activity
applied. The slope of linear plots of rocket peak heights v ALA dehydratase
activity was identical for lysates from uninduced and Me2SO-induced cells.
Succinylacetone, a potent inhibitor of ALA dehydratase, was shown to
markedly inhibit the activity of the enzyme, but did not interfere with the
synthesis of ALA dehydratase induced by Me2SO treatment. Me2SO- induced
increases in ALA dehydratase activity and the enzyme protein were both
blocked by the simultaneous treatment of cells with 5-bromo-
2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU). BrdU-mediated repression of ALA dehydratase was
partially overcome by treating the cells with thymidine. These data
demonstrate that increased ALA dehydratase activity in MEL cells undergoing
erythroid differentiation after Me2SO treatment is due to de novo synthesis
of the same enzyme protein present in uninduced MEL cells as well as in
normal erythrocytes. This represents the first direct demonstration of an
increase in a heme biosynthetic pathway enzyme protein in erythroid cells
undergoing differentiation.
Volume 64,
Issue 1,
pp. 64-70,
07/01/1984
Copyright © 1984 by The American Society of Hematology