NADH cytochrome b5 reductase activity in lymphoid cell lines. Expression of the defect in epstein Barr virus transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines from patients with recessive congenital methemoglobinemia.

Recessive congenital methemoglobinemia (RCM) is due to the homozygous deficiency of NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase (EC 1.6.2.2.). In type I disease, in which the patients are only methemoglobinemic, the enzyme defect is fully expressed in the erythrocytes, whereas the leukocytes are much less affected. In type II disease, in which the patients are, in addition, mentally retarded, the defect is generalized to all the tissues including cultured fibroblasts. In the present study we have investigated Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) transformed lymphoid cell lines (LCL) derived from patients with both types of cytochrome b5 reductase deficiency and from nondeficient individuals. The total cytochrome b5 reductase activity of the control LCL was found to be similar whatever the LCL origin, except for one lymphoma line (Daudi). The enzyme from the control LCL (c 252/B 95) was found to be immunologically related to the human soluble erythrocyte cytochrome b5 reductase, indicating that it is the product of the same gene: the DIA1 (diaphorase) locus. The LCL derived from one patient with the type I disease and two patients with the type II disease were investigated.l In the former the defect was expressed to a lesser degree than in the cases with mental retardation in which the defect was much pronounced, and involved both the mitochondrial and the microsomal fraction. This indicated that all the subcellular forms of the cytochrome b5 reductase are under the same genetic control. Altogether, these data show that the LCL are a favorable material for studying both types of cytochrome b5 reductase deficiency and for investigating in depth the molecular aspects of this metabolic disease.