title: Heme oxygenase-1 as a protective gene.
abstract: Heme oxygenases catalyze the rate-limiting step in heme degradation, resulting in the formation of carbon monoxide, iron and biliverdin that is subsequently reduced to bilirubin by biliverdin reductase. The products of this enzymatic reaction have important biological effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective functions. Three isoforms of heme oxygenase (HO) have been described: two constitutively expressed isoforms, HO-2 and HO-3, and an inducible isoform, HO-1 that is increased as an adaptive response to several injurious stimuli including heme, hyperoxia, hypoxia, endotoxin and heavy metals. Induction of HO-1 has been implicated in numerous clinically relevant disease states including transplant rejection, hypertension, atherosclerosis, lung injury, endotoxic shock and others. This review will focus on the protective functions of HO-1.
authors.affiliation: Immunobiology Research Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. Fritz_Bach@harvard.edu
authors.forename: Fritz H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Bach
mesh_terms: D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon; D000818:Animals; D001663:Bilirubin; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000628:therapy; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000235:genetics; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006418:Heme / Q000378:metabolism; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1; D006801:Humans; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051379:Mice; D044925:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-CH Group Donors / Q000378:metabolism; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D051381:Rats; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000201:enzymology; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D006418:Heme; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; C496541:HMOX1 protein, human; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing); D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1; C496542:Hmox1 protein, mouse; D044925:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-CH Group Donors; C019789:biliverdin reductase; D001663:Bilirubin