TY - JOUR
T1 - Physiology and pathophysiology of heme
T2 - Implications for kidney disease
AU - Tracz, Michal J.
AU - Alam, Jawed
AU - Nath, Karl A.
PY - 2007/2
Y1 - 2007/2
N2 - An iron-containing, tetrapyrrole ring, heme is an essential prosthetic group in an array of proteins that comprehensively affect cellular function and metabolism; yet "free" heme in sufficient amounts can be damaging to the kidney and other organs because of its bioreactivity and pro-oxidant effects. This review discusses the cellular metabolism of heme in health and disease and covers such areas as the synthesis of heme and its utilization in heme proteins; mechanisms underlying the toxicity of heme; and the extent to which pathophysiologic processes, such as renal incorporation of heme proteins or destabilization of intracellular heme proteins, increase intracellular levels of heme and provoke renal injury. The main catabolic process that degrades heme, the heme oxygenase (HO) system, is reviewed, and evidence for the protective effects of HO-1 against acute and chronic heme/heme protein-induced renal injury is summarized. Finally, current views regarding the molecular basis for heme-induced upregulation of HO-1 are discussed.
AB - An iron-containing, tetrapyrrole ring, heme is an essential prosthetic group in an array of proteins that comprehensively affect cellular function and metabolism; yet "free" heme in sufficient amounts can be damaging to the kidney and other organs because of its bioreactivity and pro-oxidant effects. This review discusses the cellular metabolism of heme in health and disease and covers such areas as the synthesis of heme and its utilization in heme proteins; mechanisms underlying the toxicity of heme; and the extent to which pathophysiologic processes, such as renal incorporation of heme proteins or destabilization of intracellular heme proteins, increase intracellular levels of heme and provoke renal injury. The main catabolic process that degrades heme, the heme oxygenase (HO) system, is reviewed, and evidence for the protective effects of HO-1 against acute and chronic heme/heme protein-induced renal injury is summarized. Finally, current views regarding the molecular basis for heme-induced upregulation of HO-1 are discussed.
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U2 - 10.1681/ASN.2006080894
DO - 10.1681/ASN.2006080894
M3 - Review article
C2 - 17229906
AN - SCOPUS:33846664696
SN - 1046-6673
VL - 18
SP - 414
EP - 420
JO - Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
JF - Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
IS - 2
ER -