Selective induction of heme oxygenase-1 isozyme in rat testis by human chorionic gonadotropin

A radioimmunoassay was developed to assess the response of testicular HO-1 to agents known to increase the microsomal heme oxygenase activity. Treatment of rats with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) increased the microsomal heme oxygenase activity in rat testis. The following data suggest that the increase was specific to the HO-1 isozyme: (a) The elution profile of heme oxygenase activity from a DEAE-Sephacel column showed an increase in the HO-1 peak, but not in the HO-2 peak, (b) the Western immunoblot of the testis microsomes showed an increase in HO-1 protein, and (c) the amount of HO-1 protein that was present in the microsomes, when measured by radioimmunoassay, was doubled. Using radioimmunoassay, it was shown that other agents known to increase the testicular heme oxygenase, sodium arsenate and sodium arsenite, also increased the microsomal content of HO-1. An inhibitor of the testicular microsomal heme oxygenase activity, cadmium, also increased the microsomal HO-1 protein. The findings suggest that inducibility of HO-1 extends to tissues other than the liver, in this instance, the testis, and further support the possibility that HO-1 is the only inducible form of heme oxygenase.     

Cadmium-mediated inhibition of testicular heme oxygenase activity: the role of NADPH-cytochrome c (P-450) reductase

The concerted activity of two microsomal enzymes, heme oxygenase and NADPH-cytochrome c (P-450) reductase, is required for isomer-specific oxidation of heme molecule; heme oxygenase is commonly believed to be rate limiting in this activity. In this report, we provide evidence strongly suggesting the rate-limiting role of the reductase in oxidation of heme molecule in rat testis. In the testis and the liver of rats treated with Cd (20 mumol/kg, sc, 24 h) heme oxygenase activity, assessed by the formation of bilirubin, was decreased by 50% and increased by 7-fold, respectively. In these animals, the reductase activity was decreased by nearly 75% in the testis, but remained unchanged in the liver. Similarly, the reductase activity in the liver was not altered when heme oxygenase activity was increased by 20-fold in response to bromobenzene treatment. Addition of purified testicular reductase preparation (purified over 4000-fold), or hepatic reductase, to the testicular microsomes of Cd-treated rats obliterated the Cd-mediated inhibition of heme oxygenase activity. The chromatographic separation of heme oxygenase and the reductase of the testicular microsomal fractions revealed that the reductase activity was markedly decreased (75%) while the heme oxygenase activity, when assessed in the presence of exogenous reductase, was not affected by in vivo Cd treatment. In vitro, the membrane-bound reductase preparation obtained from the testis was more sensitive to the inhibitory effect of Cd than the liver preparation. However, the purified reductase preparations from the testis and the liver exhibited a similar degree of sensitivity to Cd. Based on the molar ratio of heme oxygenase to the reductase in the microsomal membranes of the liver and the testis it appeared that the testicular heme oxygenase, which is predominantly HO-2 isoform, interacts with the reductase less effectively than HO-1; in the induced liver, heme oxygenase is predominantly the HO-1 isoform. It is suggested that due to the low abundance of NADPH-cytochrome c (P-450) reductase and the apparently lower affinity of the enzyme for HO-2, the reductase exerts a regulatory action on heme oxygenase activity in the testis.     

Characterization of two heme oxygenase isoforms in rat spleen: comparison with the hematin-induced and constitutive isoforms of the liver

Two isoforms of heme oxygenase, designated as HO-1 and HO-2, were identified in rat spleen. The most abundant form was HO-1, wherein a relative ratio of about 5:1 of HO-1 to HO-2 was detected. The splenic HO-1 and HO-2 were immunochemically similar to the purified isoforms obtained from the liver and the testis. Moreover, the elution properties of splenic HO-1 as well as those of the constitutive liver HO-1 and the hematin-induced liver HO-1 on a DEAE-sephacel column were similar. However, the splenic HO-1 activity could not be induced by hematin. It is suggested that in the spleen heme oxygenase activity is maintained in the induced state as the result of constant exposure to hemoglobin released in the course of disruption of senescent erythrocytes.     

Detection of two heme oxygenase isoforms in the human testis

This study shows heme oxygenase multiplicity is common to rat and human tissues. The isozymes in man and rat, however, are heterogenous proteins that share certain characteristics. Two forms of heme oxygenase, HO-1 and HO-2, were identified in human testis. HO-2 form was the prevalent form. Human and rat HO-1 differed in chromatographic behavior and molecular weight; human HO-1 was a larger molecule (35,400 vs 30,000). The two forms, however, were similar in that immunochemically human HO-1 exhibited reactivity toward antibody to rat HO-1. Human and rat HO-2 also were dissimilar in chromatographic behavior and showed only a weak immunological cross-reactivity. Human and rat HO-1 were essentially the same size. As in rat organs, the microsomal cytochrome P-450 content in human testis was reciprocal to heme oxygenase activity.     

Multiplicity of heme oxygenase isozymes. HO-1 and HO-2 are different molecular species in rat and rabbit

We report on the detection and characterization of two forms of heme oxygenase in rabbit tissues and provide data suggesting that heme oxygenases in rat and rabbit are not identical and constitute a group of heterogenous proteins. Certain molecular properties, however, are shared by the isozymes in rat and rabbit; the predominant form of the enzyme in control liver and testis is HO-2, in the liver HO-1 is the inducible form, and in the brain HO-1 is not detectable. HO-1 was purified from liver of rabbits treated with bromobenzene to near homogeneity with a specific activity of 8,270 nmol of bilirubin/mg/h and compared with a homogenous preparation of rat HO-1 with a specific activity of 6,220, also obtained from bromobenzene-treated animals. Rat and rabbit HO-1, on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel, had molecular weights of 30,000 and 30,700, respectively. Rabbit HO-2 was partially purified from testis to a specific activity of 386 nmol of bilirubin/mg/h and compared with a purified preparation of rat testis HO-2 with a specific activity of 5,700. Using Western immunoblotting, rabbit HO-2 displayed intense cross-reactivity with antibody raised in rabbit to sodium dodecyl sulfate-denatured rat HO-2, and had a substantially larger molecular weight than the rat HO-2 (42,000 versus 36,000). Rabbit HO-1 did not cross-react with antibody to rat HO-1 which was also raised in rabbit. Unlike the rat enzymes, rabbit HO-1 and HO-2 did not differ in thermolability. It is speculated that HO-1 in rat and rabbit, and possibly HO-2, have evolved from divergent evolution of a common ancestral gene(s).     

Purification and characterization of the major constitutive form of testicular heme oxygenase. The noninducible isoform

Recently we reported on the presence of two isoforms of heme oxygenase in rat liver microsomes, referred to as HO-1 and HO-2, and that only HO-1 is inducible (Maines, M. D., Trakshel, G. M., and Kutty, R. K. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 411-419). Presently we report on the detection of two isoforms of the enzyme in rat testis and purification to near homogeneity of the noninducible isoform, HO-2. A comparative characterization of the liver HO-1 and the testicular HO-2 is also provided. The relative abundance of the isoforms in the two organs was dissimilar. In the testis, the predominant form was HO-2, and only minute amounts of HO-1 were detected. In the liver, however, a 1:2 ratio of HO-1 to HO-2 was noted. The activity of HO-2 in both organs was refractory to cadmium, an inducer of the hepatic HO-1. Under nondenaturing electrophoresis conditions, HO-2 showed a higher mobility than HO-1; on a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel, HO-2 displayed a higher monomeric Mr. The apparent Mr values for HO-2 and HO-1 were 36,000 and 30,000, respectively. The isoforms differed in immunochemical properties. Antiserum to the liver HO-1 did not recognize the testicular HO-2 when examined by double immunodiffusion or by Western immunoblotting. HO-2 was more sensitive to heat inactivation than HO-1. When exposed at 65 degrees C (10 min), 70% of HO-1 activity was retained; however, nearly 80% of HO-2 activity was lost. The apparent Km values for heme for HO-1 and HO-2 were 0.24 and 0.40 microM, respectively. HO-1 and HO-2 had similar requirements for cofactor and flavoprotein reductase and were inhibited by heme-ligands (CO, KCN, NaN3). HO-2 utilized as substrate, Fe-protoporphyrin, Fe-hematoporphyrin, and Fe-hematoporphyrin acetate; it did not degrade intact purified rat liver cytochromes b5 and P-450 LM2, catalase, cytochrome c, hemoglobin, or myoglobin.     

Evidence suggesting that the two forms of heme oxygenase are products of different genes

Recently, we have reported on the presence of two forms of heme oxygenase in rat liver and testis microsomes, referred to as HO-1 and HO-2 (M. D. Maines, G. M. Trakshel, and R. K. Kutty (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 411-419; G. M. Trakshel, R. K. Kutty, and M. D. Maines (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 11131-11137). Although the two forms differed in several biochemical properties, we could not ascertain whether they represented two isozymes or whether they were isoforms of heme oxygenase. In the present study, we provide evidence suggesting that the two forms are isozymes and represent different gene products. We also provide data suggesting that HO-1 is the commonly known heme oxygenase form. The molecular weight and immunochemical properties of HO-1 and HO-2 did not vary depending on the tissue source examined, i.e. liver and testis. Major differences, however, were noted in the amino acid composition of the two forms including the presence of 3 cysteine/cystine residues in HO-2 only. Using antibody to HO-2, four testis clones and two liver clones were isolated, and one liver and one testis clone were sequenced. Both clones revealed a 274-base-pair insert, and the sequence of both inserts was the same. The validity of assignment was confirmed by matching a 14-amino-acid peptide obtained from purified HO-2 with the sequence. Approximately 43% amino acid homology was detected between the HO-2 insert and the published amino acid sequence of heme oxygenase. However, amino acid homology search revealed the presence of two regions of homology: one 22-mer sequence with only one unmatched amino acid, and one 10-mer sequence with one unmatched amino acid. Heme oxygenase appeared to be the HO-1 form, an assignment based on its amino acid sequence matching the sequence of 2 peptides obtained from purified HO-1 and the immunochemical properties of the cobalt-, hematin-, and bromobenzene-induced rat liver enzyme. The secondary structure prediction analysis revealed an area of 100% structural homology with only 72% sequence homology. We predict this region may represent the catalytic site of the enzyme.     

人血红素加氧酶同工酶的分离纯化初报

首次报道了人肝脏血红素加氧酶（hemeoxggenase,HO）的同工酶的分离纯化,并初步探讨了它们的性质．采用DEAE-SephadexA-25和羟基磷灰石柱层析法从人肝脏分离纯化H0的同工酶,酶活性检测、SDS-PAGE分析结果显示,人肝脏微粒体含HO的同工酶,按洗脱先后顺序分别得到分子量为30000和36000的HO-1和HO-2．酶促反应中需相同辅酶参与,其中酶活性HO-1明显高于HO-2,两者之比为2.4:1,从分子量和酶的催化活性分析发现,HO-1属诱导型的传统HO.HO-2为新发现的非诱导型HO的同工酶．     

Heme oxygenase expression in selected regions of term human placenta

Carbon monoxide (CO), formed during heme oxygenase (HO)-catalyzed oxidation of heme, has been proposed to play a complementary role with nitric oxide in the regulation of placental hemodynamics. The objective of this study was to elucidate HO enzymatic activity and HO-1 (inducible) and HO-2 (constitutive) protein content in the microsomal subcellular fraction of homogenate of selected regions of placenta from normotensive and mild pre-eclamptic pregnancies. HO enzymatic activity was measured under optimized conditions by gas chromatography using CO formation as an index of activity, and HO-1 and HO-2 protein content were determined by Western immunoblot analysis. Microsomal HO activity in each of the four placental regions was not different between normotensive and mild pre-eclamptic pregnancies. Microsomal HO-2 protein content was not different between normotensive and mild pre-eclamptic pregnancies, whereas there was increased expression of microsomal HO-1 protein in chorionic villi and fetal membranes from pre-eclamptic pregnancy compared with normotensive pregnancy. Microsomal HO enzymatic activity correlated with HO-2, but not HO-1, protein content.     

Differential response of testicular and ovarian heme oxygenase activity to metal ions

The response of the microsomal heme oxygenase in the testis to metal ions distinctly differed from that of the ovarian source. The activity of the ovarian enzyme in rats treated with Co2+ (250 mumol/kg, 24 h) responded in consonance with that of the liver and the kidney, i.e., heme oxygenase activity was elevated. In contrast, similar treatments did not increase the activity of testicular heme oxygenase. In addition, other metal ions, such as Cu2+, Sn2+, Pb2+, and Hg2+, known for their potency to increase heme oxygenase activity, were ineffective in increasing the enzyme activity in the testis. The unprecedented response of heme oxygenase in the testis to metal ions did not reflect an unusual nature of the enzyme protein insofar as it displayed a similar cofactor requirement and inhibition by known inhibitors of the enzyme activity, such as KCN and NaN3. Moreover, the apparent Km's for oxidation of hematoheme by the testicular and ovarian microsomal fractions were comparable and measured 2.3 and 1.4 microM, respectively. In the testis of Co2+-treated rats, the concentration of cytochrome P-450 in the rough and smooth endoplasmic reticular fractions was significantly decreased. The decrease in the hemoprotein level, however, did not reciprocate the activity of heme oxygenase in the fractions. The inability of metal ions to induce heme oxygenase activity in the testis did not represent the general refractory nature of the enzymes of heme metabolism to metal ions in this organ, since in rats treated with Co2+ the activity of delta-aminolevulinate synthetase was significantly decreased 24 h after treatment. However, the activities of uroporphyrinogen-I synthetase, delta-aminolevulinate dehydratase, and ferrochelatase and the content of porphyrins were not altered in the testis of rats treated with Co2+. The response of delta-aminolevulinate synthetase in the ovarian tissue to Co2+ treatment contrasted that of the testis. In the ovary, the enzyme activity significantly decreased 6 h after treatment. This decrease was followed by a rebound increase at 24 h after administration of Co2+. The presently described inability of metal ions to induce testicular heme oxygenase activity suggests that the activity of the enzyme in the testis is controlled by factor(s) which differ from those regulating the enzyme activity in other organs, including another steroidogenic organ, the ovary.     

Heme oxygenase-1 mRNA levels,metallothionein mRNA levels,lipid peroxidation and microsomal CYP1A activities in rats treated with 3,3-dichlorobenzidine and some other inducers of P450

The effect of 3,3-dichlorobenzidine (DCB), a potent inducer of CYP1A, on the levels of heme oxygenase-1 mRNA and metallothionein mRNAs was examined in the kidney, liver and lung of rats administered a single ip dose (157 μmol/kg) of the compound. DCB treatment increased heme oxygenase-I mRNA abundance in the kidney significantly from barely detectable levels in untreated animals; the maximum increase in the liver and lung was 24-fold and 4-fold, respectively. Hepatic microsomal heme oxygenase activity was also induced by DCB. In contrast with DCB, 2 other P450 inducers, β-naphthoflavone (β-NF) and phenobarbital did not elevate tissue HO-1 rnRNA levels. DCB pretreatment also elevated metallothionein mRNA levels in the kidney, liver and lung, with the effect in the lung being the least pronounced. In contrast with HO-1 mRNA, metallothionein mRNA was increased by the other P450 inducers examined. In vivo lipid peroxidation and in vitro NADPH-dependent microsomal lipid peroxidation were increased in the liver of DCB-treated rats but not in those of phenobarbital- or β-naphthoflavone-treated rats. Treatment with DCB or β-NF did not alter total hepatic microsomal P450 content, as measured spectrophotometrically, but induced the activity of CYP1A2. In contrast, the activity of CYP1A1 was induced to a lesser extent by DCB than by β-NF. The data show that DCB induces HO-1 as weD as P450 1A, confirm stimulation of lipid peroxidation by the compound, and suggest oxidative stress as a mechanism of HO-1 induction by the compound.     

Characterization of two constitutive forms of rat liver microsomal heme oxygenase. Only one molecular species of the enzyme is inducible

The present report describes, for the first time, the identification of two constitutive forms of heme oxygenase, designated as HO-1 and HO-2, in rat liver microsomal fractions. HO-1 was purified to homogeneity and exhibited a specific activity of up to 4000 nmol of bilirubin/mg of protein/h. HO-2 was partially purified to a specific activity of 250 nmol of bilirubin/mg of protein/h. In the native state, the relative activity of HO-2 surpassed that of HO-1 by 2-3-fold. However, a remarkable difference existed in the regulatory mechanism(s) for the production of the two enzyme forms. Whereas the activity of HO-1 was increased up to 100-fold in response to cobalt, cadmium, hematin, phenylhydrazine, and bromobenzene, that of HO-2 was fully refractory to these agents. The two forms differed in their apparent Km, thermolability, ammonium sulfate precipitation, antigenicity, electrophoretic mobility under nondenaturing conditions, and chromatographic behavior. Specifically, for HO-1 the apparent Km value was 0.24 microM, whereas that for HO-2 was 0.67 microM. HO-2 preparation was more susceptible to heat inactivation; nearly 65% activity was retained by HO-1 preparation after exposure to 60 degrees C for 10 min, whereas under the same conditions only about 25% of HO-2 activity was retained. When subjected to ammonium sulfate precipitation the bulk of HO-1 activity precipitated between 0 and 35% saturation, whereas that of HO-2 was precipitated between 35 and 65% saturation. The two forms appeared as immunologically different entities, in so far as a crossreactivity between antibody raised against HO-1 in rabbit and HO-2 could not be detected. Similarities were observed in respect to cofactor requirements for activity, sensitivity to inhibitors, as well as their reactivity towards the substrates used in this study, i.e. hematin, hematoheme, and cytochrome c. Specifically both forms of the enzyme required NADPH-cytochrome c (P-450) reductase, NADPH or NADH, and O2 for activity, and reactions were inhibited by KCN, NaN3, and CO. Both forms cleaved the tetrapyrrole molecule exclusively at the alpha-meso bridge to form biliverdin IX alpha isomer. HO-1 and HO-2 utilized hematin and hematoheme as substrates but not intact cytochrome c.     

Inhibition of testicular cytochrome P-450-dependent steroid biosynthesis by cis-platinum. Reversal by human chorionic gonadotropin

The treatment of rats with cis-platinum for 7 days caused a profound, and seemingly selective, decrease (70-80%) in the microsomal cytochrome P-450 levels in the testis. This decrease was accompanied by marked reductions (70-80%) in steroid 17 alpha-hydroxylase activity and in plasma testosterone concentration. The treatment of rats with human chorionic gonadotropin partially restored the cytochrome P-450 concentration and 17 alpha-hydroxylase activity and permitted the plasma testosterone level to approach control values. The effect of cis-platinum on the testicular cytochrome P-450 appeared unrelated to deficiencies in heme metabolic processes, in so far that neither was the activity of delta-aminolevulinate synthetase decreased, nor was that of heme oxygenase increased. These enzymes are rate-limiting in heme biosynthesis and degradation pathways, respectively. Also, the activities of uroporphyrinogen I synthetase, delta-aminolevulinate dehydratase, and ferrochelatase and the concentration of total porphyrins in the testis remained unchanged. The sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis of the microsomal preparation did not reveal a diminished level of apocytochrome; however, in this preparation, heme could not be detected in molecular weight regions corresponding to cytochrome P-450. The microsomal cytochrome b5 and the mitochondrial heme concentrations were not decreased in cis-platinum-treated rats. It is suggested that the mechanism of depletive action of cis-platinum on microsomal cytochrome P-450 involves an impairment of the effective assembly of heme and apoprotein moieties. It is further suggested that the anterior pituitary hormones control the factor(s) involved in this assembly, a process which is interrupted by cis-platinum.