Biochemistry/Genetics Flashcards
TQ
- megaloblastic macrocytic anemias are the result of what?
- what 2 substances are necessary for synthesis of DNA precursors?
- abnormal (retarded) DNA synthesis in the bone marrow (can’t make RBC) and a nuclear maturation defect
- B12 and folate
What happens if RBC are unable to mature in the bone marrow?
-RBC stay stuck in the bone marrow trying to mature and lead to megaloblastic macrocytic anemia!!
(cannot replenish red cell pop.)
Macrocytic anemia is characterized by large erythrocytes with MCV greater than 100. However, they have normal ________ in relation to size (normal MCHC)
hemoglobin
normochromic oval macrocytes on blood smear
Pt presents with…dx?
- lethargy
- weakness
- yellow/waxy pallor
- loss of weight & appetite
- Diarrhea
Megaloblastic Macrocytic Anemia
On a blood smear you see large erythroblasts and hypersegmented neutrophils (more than 5 lobes)…dx?
Megaloblastic Macrocytic Anemia
decreased mitotic divisions, delayed nuclear development, expanding cytoplasmic volume
What neurological symptom presents with megaloblastic macrocytic anemia?
Peripheral neuropathy:
- pins and needles
- loss of ambulation
- loss of memory
- madness
TQ: What are the three parts of folic acid (pteroylglutamic acid)?
- **Pteridine
- PABA ring
- Glutamic aa residues
Folate can exist as dietary folic acid (DHF: dihydrofolate) or THF (tetrahydrofolate). DHF is reduced to THF on the pteridine ring by what enzyme?
Dihydrofolate reductase
2H to 4H
What is the function of tetrahydrofolate (THF)?
Transfer carbon units (CH3) for DNA synthesis!
THF becomes a one carbon donor for synthesis of nucleotides by grabbing onto a methylene (CH2) group with its 2 nitrogens to become what?
N5, N10-methylene-FH4
Fill in the sequence of the folic acid pathway:
DHF–> (DHF reductase)
THF–>(gets CH2 from ______)
N5, N10-methylene THF–> (gives methyl to dUMP to form dTMP to form DNA)
Dihydrofolate
serine
Leads to DNA synthesis hence if folate issue then have anemia
What is the most common cause of folate deficiency? Who suffers most from this?
- Inadequate dietary intake
- Usually the poor and elderly due to junk food
- alcoholics too!
(others: GI dz, incr requirement in pregnancy, drug interference)
The recommended daily allowance is 200 ug of folate, __ ug minimum!
- 50-80% absorbed in small intestine
- Liver stores 5 to 10 mg for 3-6 mo
50
Why cant the folic acid pathway go on forever?
DHF is absorbed and reduced to N5-methyl-THF, which will NOT give up the single methylene group to dUMP–>dTMP for DNA synthesis!…must de-methylate using vit B12 for it to become THF!
TQ: What is the folate trap?
- When B12 is not available then folate becomes trapped in N5-methyl-THF form
- Therefore you have lots of folate but cant use it!!!
TQ: Vitamin B12 removes the methyl group from N5-methyl-THF to make methyl-cobalamin (B12-CH3), releasing THF to make DNA. What does cobalamin do with the methyl group?
Transfers it to homocysteine to create methionine via methionine synthase
Megaloblastic Macrocytic Anemia can also be caused by vit B12 deficiency, leading to a decrease of N5,10-methylene-THF and decreased DNA synthesis. Where can we find B12?
microorganisms! (cows tummy)
THEREFORE, rare to be deficient by diet!
Where do 85% of B12 deficiency come from?
lack of intrinsic factor!
Dietary B12 binds to proteins made by gastric mucosa cells called _-______ protein. Parietal cells make intrinsic factor nearby. Later on, the pancreas releases proteases to remove the protein and allow the intrinsic factor to bind B12 and carry it to the ileum for absorption.
R-binder proteins
Intrinsic factor-cobalamin binds to receptor cubulin, and is taken up via receptor-mediated endocytosis. B12 is carried throughout the blood by ________.
transcobalamin
What is it called when vit B12 deficiency occurs due to lack of intrinsic factor (needed for absorption)?
Pernicious anemia
-gastric mucosa destroyed due to auto-immune mech so no IF
(a megaloblastic macrocytic anemia)
What is the gold standard for diagnosing pernicious anemia?
Schilling test:
- Give and unlabeled B12 and radioactive labeled B12
- Unlabeled will bind all receptors available
- Labeled will be absorbed and excreted in the urine (if no absorption issue)
- Urine collected for 24 hours: if absent then anemic if not then diet issue!
- If absent….repeat but ADD intrinsic factor…if this time the radioactive B12 present, then we know its the lack of intrinsic factor
How do we treat folate deficiency? B12 deficiency?
- Folate: diet!
- Pernicious anemia B12 injections for life!
(B12 def can also be cause by stomach removal and Crohn’s)
Total body iron is 3-5 g and 2.7g is in red blood cells. Each day we need 25 mg of Fe to support Hb production. Therefore, what must we do with iron?
Recycle it! The iron cycle
TQ
Does the body have a way to excrete iron?
NO!! NO iron excretion pathway
What is the iron cycle?
Iron is absorbed into the gut then... Plasma transferrin ion--> Marrow erythroid precursors--> Circulating erythrocytes--> Macrophages--> Back to plasma!
(CLOSED cycle, no excretion)
Where is the majority of iron in the body?
67% in hemoglobin!
27% stored as ferritin or hemosiderin-insoluble
Iron exists in two forms…what are they? In order to maintain solubility and limit toxicity, what must be done to iron?
2+ form=ferrous
3+ form=ferric
Iron chelated to proteins or molecules to maintain solubility and limit toxicity
TQ:
-Ferritin, an intracellular protein, binds thousands of Fe3+ molecules and is found in most cells.
-Hemosiderin binds granules of ferritin.
Where is the excess iron stored? (3)
Liver
Lungs
Pancreas
Overall iron transport mechanism: Dietary iron absorbed by DMT1 into enterocyte--> Enterocyte to blood by \_\_\_\_\_\_\_--> Transferrin to TfR on erythroblast--> DMT1 to mitochondria to make heme
Ferroportin
Dietary ferric iron (Fe3+) is reduced to ferrous form (Fe2+) before being transported into enterocyte by DMT1. What enzyme reduces Fe3+?
DCYTB
Fe2+ iron is transported to the blood from the enterocyte by what enzyme? What is required to perform this transport?
Ferroportin transfers Fe to blood but first need to change Fe2+ to Fe3+ using Hephaestin!
(so that transferrin (prefers Fe3+) can later carry it to the bone marrow.)
In sex linked anemia mice, where is all the iron found?
In the intestine! Cant pump out of the enterocyte
Iron content in the body is regulated by modulating Fe absorption through what molecule?
Hepcidin (liver protein) acting on ferroportin (iron door)
What enzyme is used to transport iron through blood to bone marrow?
Transferrin
Binds 1-2 Fe3+ molecules with high affinity
TQ How does transferrin get iron into the erythroblast in the bone marrow?
Transferrin-Receptor (TfR) Mediated Endocytosis
TQ What are the overall steps of TfR Mediated Endocytosis (7)
- Transferrin+2 Fe binds to TfR and causes invagination of membrane to form endosome
- clatherin coat removed
- H+ATPase pumps H ions into endosome to make it acidic
- Under pH 5.5 transferrin lets go of iron (pumped out of endosome to make ferritin, heme, etc)
- TtR wants to bind to transferrin even tighter in acidic conditions
- Endosome goes back to surface via hbd docking protein 7. TfR lets go of transferrin, which bind to new iron
What is the kiss and run hypothesis?
Hint: transfer iron to mitochondria
Endosome transiently touches the mitochondria to directly transfer the iron to the mitochondria for heme formation WITHOUT a transport protein
Since transferrin carries iron in Fe3+ form, DMT1 pumps iron out of endosome with help of which enzyme?
Steap3 to make Fe2+
ferrireductase
What are some causes of iron deficiency?
- Insufficient dietary iron
- Menstruation
- Aspirin abuse
- Ulcers of GI tract (blood loss)
- Hypochromic microcytic anemia
Tx with iron supp
Genetic iron overloading is called what? What is the issue?
Hereditary Hemochromatosis
Iron absorption increased
Conditional iron overloading is caused by what?
repeated blood transfusions such as sickle cell anemia pts or B-thalassemia (no B-globin)
Classical hereditary hemochromatosis is autosomal _________ and has mutation in the HFE gene (hereditary Fe). HFE binds to transferrin receptor
recessive
(MC AR dz in men)
(doesn’t show up till 50s)
TQ What does the mutation in the HFE gene lead to? How often do homozygotes have full blown HH?
Cys 282 to Tyr (C282Y)
Only 1% of homozygotes have it!
- HH leads to elevated total body iron w/ ____ _____.
- This leaves the iron storage organs such as liver, pancreas, and heart at risk!
- Due to free iron=TOXIC
- Risk of liver damage, diabetes, heart failure
cell injury
How can we test for HH?
> 400 ng/ml serum ferritin (protein iron storage, normal is 20-300)
- CT, MRI, or histo of liver!
- Total body iron is 15 g (normal 3-5g)
What is the treatment for HH? (2)
- Blood letting (500 ml (1 unit) blood weekly up to 80 weeks then every other month
- ExJade: iron chelator but serious side effects including death
What is the normal fx of hepcidin?
When iron levels are ok? When iron levels are down?
- Binds ferroportin and causes internalization and proteolysis of ferroportin (no iron into body)
- Iron replete: hepcidin up and ferroportin down
- Iron deplete: Hepcidin down and ferroportin up
Hfe binds to TfR1 in low iron conditions. In high iron conditions, then transferrin binds Tfr1 and Hfe is kicked off and binds to TfR2. The binding of Hfe to TrR2 causes what?
Signal transduction to increase production of hepcidin (which will decrease ferroportin levels and decrease iron in blood)
In HH conditions, Hfe mutated cannot bind to TfR2. What does this result in?
Cannot turn on Hepcidin expression, no control of ferroportin activity, so ferroportin free to bring in more iron–>iron overload
Hfe works through ____ signaling transduction pathway to induce hepcidin expression. BUT there is a second iron sensing path involving BMP and its receptor (affected in which pt group?)
smad
Juvenile Hereditary Hemochromatosis
When iron is increased, expression of BMP6 increased. BMP6 binds to BMPR to indue hepcidin expression in the liver. What happens after BMP binds BMPR?
RSMAD binds to SMAD4 and together they interact with Hepcidin promotor to induce hepcidin expression.
TQ In juvenile hemochromatosis, a homozygous recessive dz, there can be a mutation in HJV. What is its fx?
Hemojuvelin is a co-receptor for BMPR and increases its activity (and therefore incr hepcidin)
If there is no HJV at all, then there is a severe _______ deficiency and increased ferroportin–>SEVERE iron overload
hepcidin
Kids get this in teens
TQ In the more rare type of juvenile hemochromatosis, the _____ gene is mutated. What occurs?
HAMP (hepcidin antimicrobial peptide)
Hepcidin not binding to ferroportin->iron overload
Iron refractory iron deficiency anemia (IRID) in humans is caused by mutations that affect what gene?
TMPRSS6
The mask mouse has a Tmprss6 mutation and is homozygous recessive. With the mutation, it has microcytic, hypochromic anemia due to iron deficiency. Why?
TMPRSS6 is a serine-protease that downregulates hepcidin by inactivating HJV, less BMP, less hepcidin–>more ferroportin
If mutated, then elevated hepcidin! Less ferroportin, less iron
Potential therapy for iron overload
ABO blood group genotypes: -Group A: IAIA or IAi -Group B: IBIB or IBi -Group C: IAIB -Group O: ii Gene coding for the ABO blood group has been called the ABH blood group system
DNA for the ABO blood groups
codes for an _______ not a protein. This adds a carbohydrate to the H substance.
enzyme
ABO blood groups are adopted blood groups
If you have the “A” gene you make an “A” enzyme that adds what?
Therefore, A and B antigens are not primary gene products but instead are what?
a sugar/carb to the H backbone
carbs that are attached to cell proteins with H substance.
Type O blood has _ antigen ONLY
H