Influence of the common human delta-aminolevulinate dehydratase polymorphism on lead body burden.

delta-Aminolevulinate dehydratase (ALAD) is the second enzyme in the heme biosynthesis pathway. ALAD is a zinc metalloenzyme, and its inhibition by lead substitution for zinc is one of the most sensitive indicators of blood-lead accumulation, a measure of recent lead exposure. Stoichiometry calculations indicate that a significant portion of blood lead is stored in ALAD. Human ALAD exhibits a charge polymorphism, with about 20% of Caucasians expressing the rarer ALAD2 allele. Human ALAD1 and ALAD2 cDNAs and the 16-kb ALAD gene have been cloned and sequenced. A simple polymerase chain reaction test has been established and validated for determining ALAD genotypes. Two population studies have indicated that lead-exposed individuals with the ALAD2 allele have blood-lead levels about 10 micrograms/dl greater than similarly exposed individuals carrying only the ALAD1 allele. Ongoing work is directed toward determining the biochemistry underlying the allele-specific accumulation of blood lead, and toward determining the contribution of human ALAD genotype to lead accumulation in other tissues in transgenic mouse models and to final lead deposition in bone in both mouse and man.