Desferrioxamine-mediated inhibition of heme and hemoglobin synthesis in murine erythroleukemia cells: expression of globin genes and commitment to erythroid differentiation.

The iron-chelator desferrioxamine inhibits heme accumulation and globin synthesis in induced murine erythroleukemia cells, suggesting that iron metabolism can modulate globin gene expression. However we found experimental conditions (12.5 micrograms/ml desferrioxamine) which do not suppress hexamethylenebisacetamide-mediated induction of globin synthesis, commitment of the cells to erythroid differentiation and competence for transcription of beta major globin genes, but prevent heme synthesis. Therefore expression of these erythroid functions might be independent from accumulation of heme molecules.