Chemical coordination complex of an iron ion chelated to a porphyrin
Binding of oxygen to a heme prosthetic group
Heme (American English ), or haem (Commonwealth English , both pronounced /hi:m / HEEM ), is a ring-shaped iron-containing molecular component of hemoglobin , which is necessary to bind oxygen in the bloodstream . It is composed of four pyrrole rings with 2 vinyl and 2 propionic acid side chains.[ 1] Heme is biosynthesized in both the bone marrow and the liver .[ 2]
Heme plays a critical role in multiple different redox reactions in mammals, due to its ability to carry the oxygen molecule. Reactions include oxidative metabolism (cytochrome c oxidase , succinate dehydrogenase ), xenobiotic detoxification via cytochrome P450 pathways (including metabolism of some drugs), gas sensing (guanyl cyclases , nitric oxide synthase), and microRNA processing (DGCR8).[ 3] [ 4]
Heme is a coordination complex "consisting of an iron ion coordinated to a tetrapyrrole acting as a tetradentate ligand , and to one or two axial ligands".[ 5] The definition is loose, and many depictions omit the axial ligands.[ 6] Among the metalloporphyrins deployed by metalloproteins as prosthetic groups , heme is one of the most widely used[ 7] and defines a family of proteins known as hemoproteins . Hemes are most commonly recognized as components of hemoglobin , the red pigment in blood , but are also found in a number of other biologically important hemoproteins such as myoglobin , cytochromes , catalases , heme peroxidase , and endothelial nitric oxide synthase .[ 8] [ 9]
The word haem is derived from Greek αἷμα haima 'blood'.
Space-filling model of the Fe-protoporphyrin IX subunit of heme B. Axial ligands omitted. Color scheme: grey=iron, blue=nitrogen, black=carbon, white=hydrogen, red=oxygen
^ Hodgson E, Roe RM, Mailman RB, Chambers JE, eds. (2015). "H" . Dictionary of Toxicology (3rd ed.). Academic Press. pp. 173–184. doi :10.1016/B978-0-12-420169-9.00008-4 . ISBN 978-0-12-420169-9 . Retrieved 2024-02-21 .
^ Bloomer JR (1998). "Liver metabolism of porphyrins and haem" . Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology . 13 (3): 324–329. doi :10.1111/j.1440-1746.1998.01548.x . PMID 9570250 . S2CID 25224821 .
^ Dutt S, Hamza I, Bartnikas TB (2022-08-22). "Molecular Mechanisms of Iron and Heme Metabolism" . Annual Review of Nutrition . 42 (1): 311–335. doi :10.1146/annurev-nutr-062320-112625 . ISSN 0199-9885 . PMC 9398995 . PMID 35508203 .
^ Ogun AS, Joy NV, Valentine M (2024), "Biochemistry, Heme Synthesis" , StatPearls , Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing, PMID 30726014 , retrieved 2024-02-22
^ Chemistry IU (2009). "Hemes (heme derivatives)" . IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology . IUPAC. doi :10.1351/goldbook.H02773 . ISBN 978-0-9678550-9-7 . Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2018 .
^ A standard biochemistry text defines heme as the "iron-porphyrin prosthetic group of heme proteins"(Nelson, D. L.; Cox, M. M. "Lehninger, Principles of Biochemistry" 3rd Ed. Worth Publishing: New York, 2000. ISBN 1-57259-153-6 .)
^ Poulos TL (2014-04-09). "Heme Enzyme Structure and Function" . Chemical Reviews . 114 (7): 3919–3962. doi :10.1021/cr400415k . ISSN 0009-2665 . PMC 3981943 . PMID 24400737 .
^ Paoli M (2002). "Structure-function relationships in heme-proteins" (PDF) . DNA Cell Biol . 21 (4): 271–280. doi :10.1089/104454902753759690 . hdl :20.500.11820/67200894-eb9f-47a2-9542-02877d41fdd7 . PMID 12042067 . S2CID 12806393 . Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-07-24.
^ Alderton W (2001). "Nitric oxide synthases: structure, function and inhibition" . Biochem. J . 357 (3): 593–615. doi :10.1042/bj3570593 . PMC 1221991 . PMID 11463332 .