delta-Aminolevulinic acid synthetase in erythroblasts of patients with pyridoxine-responsive anemia. Hypercatabolism caused by the increased susceptibility to the controlling protease.

Properties of delta-aminolevulinic acid synthetase in erythroblasts of patients with pyridoxine-responsive anemia were investigated with special reference to the protease in mitochondria of erythroblasts. delta-Aminolevulinic acid synthetase activity in erythroblasts of patients with this disease before treatment was extremely decreased, whereas it gradually increased in parallel with the improvement of anemia by the therapy with pyridoxal phosphate. The amount of apo-delta-aminolevulinic acid synthetase in erythroblasts before treatment was also extremely diminished. Apparent affinity to pyridoxal phosphate of the apo-delta-aminolevulinic acid synthetase obtained from erythroblasts of the patients was almost the same as that of normal controls. The activity of a new protease which is considered to be engaged in the regulation of delta-aminolevulinic acid synthetase levels in mitochondria of erythroblasts was shown to be in normal range in erythroblasts of the patients. On the other hand, apo-delta-aminolevulinic acid synthetase obtained from the patients was extremely sensitive to the protease. These results indicate that disturbance of heme synthesis characteristic to pyridoxine-responsive anemia could be ascribed to the hypercatabolism of delta-aminolevulinic acid synthetase caused by the increased susceptibility to the controlling protease in erythroblasts.