Erythrocyte δ-Aminolevulinic Acid Dehydratase Genotype and Other Mechanisms Affecting Workers' Susceptibility to Lead

• Published in: Journal of occupational and environmental medicine Vol. 41; no. 8; pp. 662 - 668
• Main Authors: Nomiyama, Kazuo, Nomiyama, Hiroko, Xin, Ke-Qin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 01-08-1999; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies
• Subjects: Adult; Alleles; aminolevulinic acid dehydratase; Biological and medical sciences; Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases; Enzymes; Erythrocytes; Erythrocytes - enzymology; Genetic Predisposition to Disease - genetics; Genetics; Genotype; Humans; Lead; Lead Poisoning - enzymology; Lead Poisoning - genetics; Male; Medical sciences; Metals and various inorganic compounds; Occupational Diseases - chemically induced; Occupational Diseases - enzymology; Occupational Diseases - genetics; Occupational hazards; ORIGINAL ARTICLES; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Polymorphism, Genetic; Porphobilinogen Synthase - genetics; Risk Factors; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Toxicology; Human; Urine; Biological fluid; Porphobilinogen synthase; Enzyme; Toxicity; Genotype; Lyases; Occupational exposure; Heavy metal; Blood plasma; Allele; Sensitivity resistance; Predisposition; Lead; Genetics; Carbon-oxygen lyases; Occupational medicine; Hydro-lyases; Polymorphism
• ISSN: 1076-2752; 1536-5948
• DOI: 10.1097/00043764-199908000-00008

In this study, the role of δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) variants in lead susceptibility was examined. The study subjects comprised 223 workers, and the relationship between their blood lead level and erythrocyte ALAD activity or plasma/urine δ-aminolevulinic acid level was studied. Leukocyte specimens from 11 workers, whose erythrocyte ALAD activities were as low as one-fifih that of the 1 other normal workers, were subjected to analyses of their ALAD¹ and ALAD² alleles. Further, the entire exon fragment of the ALAD gene was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction, and the reaction product was used as a target for direct DNA sequencing. Genomic DNA analysis reveakd that all 11 workers had the ALAD¹⁻¹ allele, whereas the entire ALAD gene analysis faikd to indicate other variants, except for the Rsa I site. The depletion in erythrocyte ALAD activity was not found to be caused by the ALAD² allele.