Purification and characterization of the major constitutive form of testicular heme oxygenase. The noninducible isoform.

Recently we reported on the presence of two isoforms of heme oxygenase in rat liver microsomes, referred to as HO-1 and HO-2, and that only HO-1 is inducible (Maines, M. D., Trakshel, G. M., and Kutty, R. K. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 411-419). Presently we report on the detection of two isoforms of the enzyme in rat testis and purification to near homogeneity of the noninducible isoform, HO-2. A comparative characterization of the liver HO-1 and the testicular HO-2 is also provided. The relative abundance of the isoforms in the two organs was dissimilar. In the testis, the predominant form was HO-2, and only minute amounts of HO-1 were detected. In the liver, however, a 1:2 ratio of HO-1 to HO-2 was noted. The activity of HO-2 in both organs was refractory to cadmium, an inducer of the hepatic HO-1. Under nondenaturing electrophoresis conditions, HO-2 showed a higher mobility than HO-1; on a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel, HO-2 displayed a higher monomeric Mr. The apparent Mr values for HO-2 and HO-1 were 36,000 and 30,000, respectively. The isoforms differed in immunochemical properties. Antiserum to the liver HO-1 did not recognize the testicular HO-2 when examined by double immunodiffusion or by Western immunoblotting. HO-2 was more sensitive to heat inactivation than HO-1. When exposed at 65 degrees C (10 min), 70% of HO-1 activity was retained; however, nearly 80% of HO-2 activity was lost. The apparent Km values for heme for HO-1 and HO-2 were 0.24 and 0.40 microM, respectively. HO-1 and HO-2 had similar requirements for cofactor and flavoprotein reductase and were inhibited by heme-ligands (CO, KCN, NaN3). HO-2 utilized as substrate, Fe-protoporphyrin, Fe-hematoporphyrin, and Fe-hematoporphyrin acetate; it did not degrade intact purified rat liver cytochromes b5 and P-450 LM2, catalase, cytochrome c, hemoglobin, or myoglobin.