Ferritin and sideroblastic anaemias: inhibition of protein synthesis by protease contaminants in commercial preparations of ferritin.

Commercial preparations of ferritin inhibited reticulocyte-lysate cell-free protein synthesis and disaggregated polyribosomes to monoribosomes and ribosomal subunits. These effects were prevented by addition of reduced glutathione (GSH) to the incubation medium, but ferritin did not lower GSH concentration in the lysates. The more purified the ferritin preparation, the less inhibition of protein synthesis was observed. These data suggested that the effect was due to a contamination of the ferritin with proteolytic activity. In confirmation of this proposal we demonstrated that there was protease activity in both the 2X and 5X crystalized ferritin preparations, with 2.5 times greater activity in the 2X preparation. The proteolytic activity in ferritin was inhibited by incubation with the protease inhibitor tosyl lysine chloromethyl ketone (TLCK). When an amount of trypsin equivalent to the protease activity of the ferritin was added to the incubation mixture, similar effects on protein synthesis and the ribosome-polyribosome component were found. Both GSH and TLCK prevented these effects of trypsin. These data suggest that the previously reported effect of ferritin on reticulocyte cell-free protein synthesis was due to contamination of the ferritin by a protease. It appears that ferritin does not play a direct role in the pathogenesis of sideroblastic anaemias.

Hemin reversal of benzene-induced inhibition of reticulocyte protein synthesis.

Benzene (0.056-0.113 M) rapidly and reversibly inhibited protein synthesis in anucleate human sickle cell and rabbit reticulocytes. Hemin (50 muM) both prevented and reversed this effect of benzene. The inhibition in rabbit reticulocytes was accompanied by a conversion of polyribosomal disaggregation required ribosomal movement along mRNA and was also prevented and reversed by 50 muM hemin. Benzene was also shown to inhibit heme synthesis in rabbit reticulocytes while neither ATP nor GSH levels were altered. A translational repressor (HCR) of reticulocyte cell-free protein synthesis was isolated from intact cells incubated with benzene, while no significant amount of HCR was found in cells incubated with both benzene and hemin. These results indicated that benzene inhibits translation at the heme-dependent site of initiation. The clinical implications of these experiments remain to be elucidated.

Comparison of the effects of carbamyl phosphate and sodium cyanate on protein synthesis and glutathione concentration in human sickle cell and rabbit reticulocytes.

Two carbamylating agents, carbamyl phosphate and sodium cyanate, are currently being evaluated as therapeutic drugs for the treatment of sickle cell anemia. Since the clinical usefulness of these drugs might be limited by toxicity, a comparative in vitro study of the relative inhibition of human sickle cell and rabbit reticulocyte protein synthesis was performed. Sodium cyanate was found to inhibit human sickle cell protein synthesis at concentrations one-eighth that of carbamyl phosphate. Carbamyl phosphate lowered reduced glutathione levels to a similar degree as sodium cyanate and was slightly more effective as an in vitro antisickling agent, which is evidence that carbamyl phosphate enters these cells. When rabbit reticulocyte protein synthesis was investigated, carbamyl phosphate was found to be noninhibitory at concentrations as high as 128 mol/mol of hemoglobin in the incubation medium, while cyanate was inhibitory at much lower concentrations. The effect of carbamyl phosphate on glutathione concentrations, however, was virtually identical to that of cyanate. These results show that the effect on protein synthesis does not result from the lowered glutathione levels. It is concluded that both the therapeutic and toxic effects of sodium cre, there might be differences in toxicity between animals and humans.

Ethanol inhibition of reticulocyte protein synthesis: the role of haem.

Ethanol, in concentrations of 0.05-0.8 M, inhibited intact human and rabbit reticulocyte protein synthesis in the presence of iron-transferrin for endogenous haem synthesis. Associated with this effect there was a conversion of polyribosomes to monoribosomes and a decreased incorporation of radioactive leucine into nascent globin chains. When physiological levels of ethanol (0.05-0.1 M) were used, these effects were prevented by incubation with 50 muM haemin and reversed by removing the alcohol and reincubating with iron-transferrin or haemin. The polyribosomal disaggregation was also prevented by stopping ribosomal movement with 5 mM cycloheximide. Neither ATP nor GSH levels were altered in the presence of ethanol. When non-physiological levels of 0.8 M ethanol were used, haemin did not prevent the inhibition of protein synthesis. Likewise, in the rabbit reticulocyte cell-free lysate system containing haemin inhibition was noted at concentrations greater than 0.05 M ethanol. The polyribosomal disaggregation in reticulocytes incubated with 0.8 M ethanol was associated with decreased dissociation of monoribosomes into subunits. Similarly, when ribosomes were directly suspended cell-free in 0.1 or 0.8 M ethanol there was a decreased percentage of subunits. These results indicate that physiological concentrations of ethanol inhibit initiation of reticulocyte protein synthesis secondary to a block in haem synthesis. When intact cells are exposed to high non-physiological concentrations of ethanol the inhibition is secondary to decreased ribosomal dissociation. The cell-free lysate inhibition is also through this effect on ribosomal dissociation. This study supports the view that alcohol is a direct toxin to developing red cell precursors via its effect on mitochondrial haem synthesis. The physiological role of the decreased dissociation of monoribosomes into subunits is not yet clear.