A new method for determination of microsomal haem oxygenase (EC 1.14.99.3) based on quantitation of carbon monoxide formation

Amplifying the fluorescence of bilirubin enables the real-time detection of heme oxygenase activity

Heme oxygenases (HO) are the rate-limiting enzymes in the degradation of heme to equimolar amounts of antioxidant bile pigments, the signaling molecule carbon monoxide, and ferric iron. The inducible form HO-1 confers protection on cells and tissues that mediates beneficial effects in many diseases. Consequently, measurement of the enzymatic activity is vital in the investigation of the regulatory role of HO. Here we report that the fluorescence characteristics of bilirubin in complex with serum albumin can be used for the real-time detection of HO activity in enzymatic kinetics measurements. We characterized the enzymatic activity of a truncated human HO-1 and measured the HO activity for various cell types and organs, in either the basal naive or the HO-1-induced state. The bilirubin-dependent increase in fluorescence over time monitored by this assay facilitates a very fast, sensitive, and reliable measurement of HO activity. Our approach offers the basis for a highly sensitive high-throughput screening, which provides, inter alia, the opportunity to discover new therapeutic HO-1-inducing agents.

Heme oxygenase-1/carbon monoxide: from basic science to therapeutic applications

The heme oxygenases, which consist of constitutive and inducible isozymes (HO-1, HO-2), catalyze the rate-limiting step in the metabolic conversion of heme to the bile pigments (i.e., biliverdin and bilirubin) and thus constitute a major intracellular source of iron and carbon monoxide (CO). In recent years, endogenously produced CO has been shown to possess intriguing signaling properties affecting numerous critical cellular functions including but not limited to inflammation, cellular proliferation, and apoptotic cell death. The era of gaseous molecules in biomedical research and human diseases initiated with the discovery that the endothelial cell-derived relaxing factor was identical to the gaseous molecule nitric oxide (NO). The discovery that endogenously produced gaseous molecules such as NO and now CO can impart potent physiological and biological effector functions truly represented a paradigm shift and unraveled new avenues of intense investigations. This review covers the molecular and biochemical characterization of HOs, with a discussion on the mechanisms of signal transduction and gene regulation that mediate the induction of HO-1 by environmental stress. Furthermore, the current understanding of the functional significance of HO shall be discussed from the perspective of each of the metabolic by-products, with a special emphasis on CO. Finally, this presentation aspires to lay a foundation for potential future clinical applications of these systems.

Real-time measurements of endogenous CO production from vascular cells using an ultrasensitive laser sensor

Carbon monoxide (CO) has been implicated as a biological messenger molecule analogous to nitric oxide. A compact gas sensor based on a midinfrared laser absorption spectroscopy was developed for direct and real-time measurement of trace levels (in approximate pmol) of CO release by vascular cells. The midinfrared light is generated by difference frequency mixing of two nearinfrared lasers in a nonlinear optical crystal. A strong infrared absorption line of CO (4.61 microm) is chosen for convenient CO detection without interference from other gas species. The generation of CO from cultured vascular smooth muscle cells was detected every 20 s without any chemical modification to the CO. The sensitivity of the sensor reached 6.9 pmol CO. CO synthesis was measured from untreated control cells (0.25 nmol per 10(7) cells/h), sodium nitroprusside-treated cells (0.29 nmol per 10(7) cells/h), and hemin-treated cells (0.49 nmol per 10(7) cells/h). The sensor also detected decreases in CO production after the addition of the heme oxygenase (HO) inhibitor tin protoporphyrin-IX (from 0.49 to 0.02 nmol per 10(7) cells/h) and increases after the administration of the HO substrate hemin (from 0.27 to 0.64 nmol per 10(7) cells/h). These results demonstrate that midinfrared laser absorption spectroscopy is a useful technique for the noninvasive and real-time detection of trace levels of CO from biological tissues.

Localization and activity of haem oxygenase and functional effects of carbon monoxide in the feline lower oesophageal sphincter

1. In the feline lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS), the distribution of the carbon monoxide (CO) producing enzymes haem oxygenase (HO)-1 and -2 was studied by immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy, the HO activity was measured and the possible role for CO as a mediator of relaxation was investigated. 2. HO-2 immunoreactivity was abundant in nerve cell bodies of the submucosal and myenteric plexus. Approximately 50% of the HO-2-containing myenteric cell bodies were also nitric oxide synthase- and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-immunoreactive. In addition, HO-2 immunoreactivity was seen in nerve fibres, in non-neuronal cells dispersed in the smooth muscle and in arterial endothelium. HO-1 immunoreactivity was confined to non-neuronal cells in the smooth muscle, similar to those positive for HO-2. 3. Activity of HO, measured as CO production, was observed in LOS homogenates at a rate of 1.00 +/- 0.05 nmol mg-1 protein h-1. This production was inhibited by the HO inhibitor, zinc protoporphyrin-IX (ZnPP). 4. In isolated circular smooth muscle strips of LOS, developing spontaneous tone, exogenously administered CO evoked a concentration-dependent relaxation reaching a maximum of 93 +/- 3%. This relaxation was accompanied by an increase in cyclic GMP, but not cyclic AMP levels. The relaxant response was attenuated by methylene blue, but unaffected by tetrodotoxin. Repeated exposure to CO resulted in a progressive reduction of the relaxant response. 5. ZnPP caused a rightward-shift of the concentration-response curves for the relaxant responses to VIP, peptide histidine isoleucine, and pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide 27. 6. ZnPP and tin protoporphyrin-IX (another inhibitor of HO) did not affect nonadrenergic, noncholinergic relaxations induced by electrical field stimulation. Nor did ZnPP affect relaxations induced by 3-morpholino-sydnonimine or forskolin. 7. The present findings, showing localization of HO immunoreactivity to both neuronal and nonneuronal cells of the feline LOS, ability of LOS to produce CO and a relaxant effect of CO in circular LOS muscle, suggest a role for CO as a peripheral messenger.

Heme oxygenase activity as measured by carbon monoxide production

A method is described for the in vitro determination of heme oxygenase (HO) activity in animal tissue preparations through determination of carbon monoxide production. Tissue homogenates were centrifuged and the 13,000g supernatants were incubated in septum-sealed vials with methemalbumin in the presence and absence of NADPH at 37 degrees C for 15 min. The reaction was terminated by quick-freezing to -78 degrees C and the amount of carbon monoxide released into the headspace was determined by gas chromatography with a reduction gas detector. The CO produced through mediation of NADPH is used as a measure of HO activity and is expressed as nanomoles of CO produced per hour per milligram protein. The method permits analysis of as little as 2 microliter normal rat tissue homogenate representing 0.4 mg liver tissue (approx 40 micrograms total protein). The assay rate is 10-15 duplicate samples per hour with a precision of 3% for sample (4.47 +/- 0.13 SD nmol CO/h/mg protein) and 6% for blank reactions (0.59 +/- 0.10 nmol CO/h/mg protein) for 10 microliter liver supernatant. Various reaction parameters were studied. The method was used to compare HO activity in several tissue homogenates from normal rats and rats treated with COCl2.