title: Degradation of human hemoglobin by Prevotella intermedia.
abstract: In this study, the ability of Prevotella intermedia, an obligate anaerobic rod, to degrade human hemoglobin was determined by SDS-PAGE and the degradation was quantified by scanning densitometry. Both bacterial cells and culture supernatants degraded hemoglobin. The hemoglobin degradation by P. intermedia was time-dependent, heat sensitive, pH related and was not influenced by iron restriction. Inhibition studies demonstrated that a cysteine protease might be involved in hemoglobin degradation and this protease might require metal ions for its activity and it might be thiol-requiring and trypsin-inducible. The results indicate that P. intermedia is capable to release heme from hemoglobin, hence provide a source of iron for its proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Biology, School of Stomatology, Fourth Military Medical University, 145 West Chang Le Road, Xi'an 710032, PR China. jchsmg@fmmu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Su-Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shizukuishi
authors.forename: Jun-Zheng
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism*; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D018713:Prevotella intermedia / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D007501:Iron; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases