Characteristics of δ-Aminolevulenic Acid Dehydratase of the Cold-Water Sponge <i>Halisarca dujardinii</i>

Abstract

Delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) is a key enzyme in the cytoplasmic pathway of heme biosynthesis. Here, a primary structure of the ALAD gene of the marine cold-water sponge Halisarca dujardinii, a multimeric structure of the ALAD/hemB protein, and the ALAD gene expression during the sponge annual reproductive cycle were analyzed. On the base of results obtained one can suppose that the sponge ALAD gene expression is regulated by the transcription factor GATA-1 and DNA methylation. Re-aggregation of the sponge cells was accompanied by a decrease in ALAD expression and a change in the cellular content of the active ALAD/hemB form. Further study of heme biosynthesis and the role of ALAD/hemB in morphogenesis of basal animals may provide new opportunities for correcting pathologies in higher animals.